Playing With Fire
by Lady Cardea
Summary: Hiatus. "Just remember, love, you're doing a dangerous thing. You're playing with fire and sooner or later, you are going to get burned." DMxGW. Rated T, but may change in later chapters. Alternate ships: BZxOC. RWxHG. GWxHP.
1. September 1st

**Well, I used to post fanfic's here under another pen name, but when I finished my bigger story I decided to stop. Yet, here I am again. **

**I'm really not promising anything with this story. In fact, it will almost certainly make you want to vomit. Buuttt, I got bored and started reading which made me want to write another fanfic, in addition to my originals. **

**So here it is. Please review if you feel so inclined, and if not, well, suit yourself.**

**By the way, it's not mine unless it's mine.**

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September 1st had, for the past five years, been a pleasant day for Ginny Weasley. Something about this September first, however, made it different than the rest. She could only trace her loss of words to Harry's departure, after they had stepped aboard the Hogwarts Express and he had announced that he and Ron would be out searching for the last horcruxes through the next year, and would not be attending Hogwarts. Hermione, although she had already known that they would be leaving, was sobbing uncontrollably inside the compartment. Ron had insisted she stay, as she would profit from her studies far more than the boys would. Besides, they were needed elsewhere, saving the wizarding world and all that.

Ginny watched Harry as he left, her brown eyes full of emotion. He kissed her forehead and hugged her non-respondent form before apparating from the train. She stood motionless in the middle of the aisle, not thinking that perhaps others would want to pass through.

"Move, Weaslette," an icy voice snarled from behind. Ginny jumped, nearly hitting the blond form, none other than Draco Malfoy himself.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Ginny asked, trying to sound more vicious than she actually did. She was still regaining herself from Harry's unfortunate news.

Draco rolled his eyes, "The same thing you are, I would assume, unless I've accidentally boarded the train to loonyville."

Ginny scoffed. "Oh Malfoy, you are a witty one, aren't you?" she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

He didn't respond so she continued. "You know what I mean," she said. "They actually let you back in here after… last year?"

"Yes," he responded icily, "as a matter of fact, they did. Not that it's any of _your _business."

"What are you up to?" she asked accusingly.

"What ever can you mean?" he asked boredly.

Ginny heaved breath out in a put-out manner as Hermione sobbed loudly. The pair each cast sideways glances at her, but paid no more attention. "I mean," she said, "what 'secret mission' have you got to do this year? Dumbledore's gone, so what could your father possibly want you doing now…?"

Draco whipped around at high speed. Before Ginny realized what was happening, he had her pinned to the wall beside the door, out of Hermione's view, his hands gripping her upper arms tightly.

"Don't," he said through clenched teeth, "you ever mention my father again."

He thrust her back against the metal wall and disappeared down the aisle. _Talk about a temper,_ Ginny thought to herself bitterly, as she rubbed her upper arms.

o.O.o.O.o

Dinner that night was a particularly odd experience. As Ginny sat at the Gryffindor table beside a sniffling Hermione, she couldn't help but notice the lack of students. There were two tables remaining in the once filled Great Hall, and not even those were completely filled. The Hufflepuffs now sat with the Slytherins, and the Ravenclaws with the Gryffindors. There was still obvious segregation between the houses, however.

Across the room Ginny's eyes fell upon a rather pathetic sight. Draco Malfoy, alone at the end of the long wooden table. She almost felt sorry for him. This once fawned over boy, was now alone. Perhaps his seclusion and disrupted look on his brow is what compelled Ginny to get up and follow him from the Great Hall. He walked to the library and sat in a table near the back. Ginny watched as he stared at page one of a dark magic book for nearly ten minutes, but his eyes never moved. She moved in and took a seat.

"What do you want?" he growled, his eyes barely shifting to look at her.

Ginny 'hurumphed' and raised her eyebrows. "Hello to you too, Malfoy."

Draco sighed. "Do you want something, Weasley? There are plenty of other seats in here, and I can assure you they won't be filling up any time soon."

"My, my, do you always act like this when people try to talk to you?" she asked mockingly. "I'm only trying to have a civilized conversation."

"Civilized? A _Weasley?_" Draco spat. "You must be joking."

Ginny laughed softly and shook her head as she stood to go, "Well, Malfoy, I can't say that I'm impressed. For someone of your intelligence, that was not your best."

As Ginny walked away she scoffed in her head. Initially she had planned to apologize to Malfoy for mentioning his father earlier. She wasn't sure why, but something about mentioning the events of the previous year to him seemed wrong, and made her feel guilty. But now she didn't care. If he was going to be a prat about it, she most certainly would not waste her time making amends with the enemy._  
_  
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"I can't believe they just picked up and _left_," Hermione said sadly as she and Ginny unpacked their clothing. Ginny had agreed to stay in the seventh year dormitory for the term, as Hermione was the only seventh year female left, besides Parvati Patil.

"I know, 'Mione," Ginny said sympathetically, "but they're coming back. It's not like they'll be gone forever."

"How can you be so sure?" Hermione asked, looking across the two beds between them. Ginny watched her with questioning eyes, and Hermione continued. "What makes you so sure they'll survive?"

Ginny's heart dropped. Of course she was doubting their return, but she had to be strong. What else could she do? "Don't talk like that," Ginny said softly.

Hermione watched Ginny's emotions change as she continued to unpack.

"Did you eat tonight, Hermione?" Ginny asked suddenly.

Hermione shrugged in return. "A little. Why?"

"I'm going to the kitchen. I'll be back in a little while," she said. 

"Wait a minute, I'll come with you," Hermione said, moving to get her robes.

Ginny stopped her. "No," she said a bit too quickly. Hermione raised her eyebrow. "I just want to go alone," she said. "I'll be quick."

Hermione nodded as Ginny exited quickly, scurrying through the dark hollows. She took a long route to the portrait concealing the House Elves' workplace, and when she entered Dobby greeted her with big eyes. 

"Mizz Weezley has come to see Dobby!" Dobby shouted excitedly before the portrait-door was closed. Ginny hurried to shut it behind her and smiled at the elf, whose highest point reached just above her knee. 

"Yes, Dobby, I came to see you. How have you been?" she asked politely. 

Dobby shrugged. "Oh, Dobby can't complain, miss. Where is Harry Potter?"

Ginny's face twisted into a sad smile. "Harry won't be coming back this year," she said softly. "He had some… business to take care of."

Dobby was ready to respond when the portrait swung open behind Ginny, causing them both to jump.

Standing there in the doorway was a young woman Ginny did not recognize. She looked as if she were in her mid-twenties. Her hair was raven black, loose around her shoulders. She had a twinkle in her honey brown eye and a grin on her lips as if she knew something no one else did. 

"Well, well," she said softly in a cat-like purr. "Night one and students are already breaking curfew, huh?"

"Um…yes. Sorry, who are you?" Ginny asked with polite confusion in her voice.

The woman smiled, her hand resting on her hip. "Anessa Duff," she announced. "Your new Dark Arts master, so I suppose that would make me Professor, yeah?"

Ginny nodded and her cheeks tinted pink. "Sorry professor," she said. "I couldn't sleep."

"Well, best get back to your dorm then. I won't punish you since it's only the first night. But don't let me catch you again, okay? Miss…" Anessa trailed off, waiting for Ginny to speak.

"Ginny Weasley," she said softly. "And yes ma'am, it won't happen again."

"Right," she responded. "Let's go then."

Both women nodded toward Dobby before they left. As they walked in the dark, Professor Duff began casual conversation.

"What house are you in, Ginny?" she asked.

Ginny responded, "Gryffindor."

"I assume you're related to the Weasley Twins in Diagon Alley?" 

Ginny nodded. "They're my brothers. Do you know them?"

Anessa nodded. "I've met them a few times. Funny guys," she remarked. 

As the two girls rounded the next corner, a blond figure fell into their paths. Anessa's hand went to her pocket but did not come out, though Ginny knew she was grabbing her wand.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Anessa asked Draco Malfoy's tired looking figure. 

"Prefect," he said, as if he had some high authority. "I'm on patrol duty tonight."

Anessa nodded. "Well then, you can escort Miss Weasley here back to the Gryffindor Tower. Good night." And with that, she was gone, leaving Ginny and Draco standing awkwardly in the middle of the hallway. 

Ginny regained her posture and brushed past Draco, surprised however when he followed her.

"_What_ are you doing, Malfoy?" Ginny asked with a roll of her eyes.

"You heard her," he said. "I'm 'escorting' you back to your house."

Ginny scoffed. "Good night Malfoy," she said, turning away from him.

Draco leaned his back against the wall behind him, a genuine Malfoy smirk playing across his mouth. "What? No good night kiss?"

"You're disgusting," Ginny muttered before turning the corner and disappearing into the dark.

Hermione was already sleeping when Ginny returned to their room. Ginny crawled into bed and tried to follow suit, eventually slipping into a rigid slumber. She dreamt of Harry with her, though they were not at Hogwarts. They were at the Burrow, in the past summer they had spent together. She was laughing and he was watching with some emotion lingering in his vibrant eyes.

Morning came all too soon for Ginny. She felt as if she had been asleep no more than five minutes before Hermione stood above her, showered and dressed for the first day of classes. Ginny stumbled out of bed and somehow made it to breakfast, though she hadn't much of an appetite

"What've you got first, Gin?" Hermione asked from across the table. She was already through eating and looking through her schedule, more packed than usual to keep her occupied.

Ginny fumbled through her bag and fished out her own schedule, looking at the small words. "Defense Against the Dark Arts," she replied.

"That's all the way across the castle. You might want to get going," Hermione suggested. Ginny nodded.

"You're right. I'll see you at lunch, yeah?" Ginny said, closing her bag and standing to leave. Hermione nodded and mumbled an affirmative reply as Ginny walked away. Halfway to her first class, however, she was joined by a Slytherin boy in his seventh year. He stopped her as she walked by the corner in the hallway at which he was perched, arms crossed, dark eyes wandering.

"Well, well, if it isn't Miss Ginny Weasley," the boy drawled in a deep tone. "It looks like summer's done you some good."

Ginny rolled her eyes and continued walking. "Bletchley," she said evenly. "Such a pleasure to see you."

"Really?" he asked with a smirk. "Because you don't sound pleased."

"I'll work on it," Ginny said dully and continued to walk past.

Miles Bletchley smirked wider. "I know you're happy to see me, Ginny. You can stop pretending to hate me."

Just outside her classroom door Ginny stopped and faced him. "Where do you get these crazy ideas?"

"You know you want me," Miles said charmingly. Ginny did all she could to stop her stomach from convulsing. True, he was good looking, but he was Slytherin to the core. The type of boy you would expect to be receiving the Mark the day he turns seventeen. He was just like Malfoy, and Ginny hated him.

"If you say so," Ginny said allusively with an impish grin. With a flit of her fingers, she ducked into the class room, taking a seat in the back. It was after she retrieved her book and quill from her bag that she realized that, save for the teacher in the front of the room, she was the only person occupying the space.

"Ginny Weasley, correct?" Anessa Duff's voice spilled across the room.

_Oh yes, _Ginny thought, _the new professor._

Ginny nodded. "Yes, professor."

"Did you get back to your dorm last night?"

"Yes," she said simply, not knowing what else to say.

Anessa smiled and nodded as more students poured in. She resumed her place at the front of the room and wrote her name in loopy cursive on the front blackboard.

The class went quickly, but at the end Ginny was mesmerized. The new professor didn't teach much the first day, it was mostly introductions and such, but the way she talked made Ginny believe she really knew what she was doing. This was the one class she had been completely dreading, because of the teacher switch and all, but now she couldn't wait for Wednesday when she would be in the classroom with Anessa Duff once more.

At the end of the day, after supper was over, Ginny was excited to be out on the Quidditch field with her broom, flying alone. It hadn't been too long since she had flown, because she had over the summer, but she hadn't much room at the Burrow and at Hogwarts there was an endless amount of space.

Ginny flew for what seemed like thirty minutes, but was really close to three hours that night. It was dark and the pitch was only lit by a few torches at the top of the viewing towers, but by five minutes into her fly her eyes were adjusted to the dark and she could see perfectly.

As she touched down from the field, Ginny noticed another figure in the air, coming straight at her. She barely had time to think before the figure slammed into her body, knocking her to the ground. All the air in her lungs flew out and Ginny began to cough.

"Sorry! Sorry, sorry," the girl said quickly, jumping off Ginny and offering a hand to help her up. Ginny took it and stood, trying to catch her breath.

"It's okay," Ginny said after a few moments. "I wasn't watching."

The girl, with long brown hair and short bangs sweeping across her dark eyes, smiled. "I've never been very good at flying, but I'm trying to get better. Obviously it's not working out how I want, though, huh?" she said and laughed.

Ginny grinned at her. "Maybe you'd better think on taking up dueling," she said jokingly.

The girl giggled. "Maybe so. I'm Meagan, but you can call me Maggie," she said, shaking the hand that Ginny was still subconsciously holding. They dropped their hands quickly.

"Ginevra," Ginny said. "But I'd prefer if you call me Ginny."

"I've seen you around," Maggie said. "Gryffindor, right?"

Ginny nodded and scrunched her eyebrows. "I haven't seen you. You're not new are you?"

Maggie shook her head, which caused her bangs to swish across her eyes. "Nah, just quiet I guess. I'm in Ravenclaw, sixth year."

"I'm in sixth year too," Ginny said, smiling. "Wait, you were in my divination class last year?"

She hesitated before nodding. "Uh. Yeah, yeah I was," she said quickly. Ginny masked her confusion and smiled.

"I should probably get inside," Ginny said. "Professor Duff already caught me out after curfew, last night."

Maggie grinned. "Sure, I'll walk you inside," she said, and they began to walk, neither of them noticing the lurking figure around the corner of a goal post.

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"Draco, you've arrived," Lucius' icy voice drawled deeply from the shadowy corner of the Malfoy's library.

"You don't miss a thing," Draco mumbled, not making eye contact.

"Sit."

Draco did as he was told. He sat straight up with his hand in his pocket, his pale fingers clutching his wand tightly. "Yes?"

"As I'm sure you are aware, your failure to kill Albus Dumbledore was an extreme disappointment to the Dark Lord." Draco did not respond. Lucius continued. "You are lucky not to have been exiled for this," _You have no idea, _"but the Dark Lord, being generous as he is," _generous? The only thing he's generous with is pain, "_has decided to give you a chance to redeem yourself."

Draco's ears perked up, though he still did not respond. "As you must have noticed, Harry Potter has a special _bond_, shall we say, with the youngest Weasley."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Draco asked. Sure the little Weaslette and Potter had a thing, but what was it to him?

"They're in love," Lucius said simply. Draco still did not understand.

"And I care because…?" Draco was growing bored with his fathers delay.

Lucius' voice became tense. "Because, you idiot. Ginevra Weasley is alone at Hogwarts this year. She's probably weak and searching for companionship. _You,_" he said.

"_Me?_ You want _me_ to be friends with a blood traitor?" Draco asked disgustedly.

"No," Lucius said. "The _Dark Lord _wants you to make her trust you. Make her trust you and then bring her to us. Potter will come straight to her, and we'll be ready. Do you understand?"

Draco's lip curled into a snarl. "What makes you think I want to earn _his_ favor, anyway?" he snapped.

"This isn't a decision we're giving you. You _will_ join him. Or you _will_ die," his father said viciously.

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Ginny and Maggie entered the building, both watching carefully around the corners to save from being caught. Though on their guard, they were not watchful enough. As they crept down the hallway outside of the Great Hall, Anessa Duff's shadowy form appeared just as she had the night before: sudden and abrupt.

"Ginny Weasley," she said. "Couldn't sleep again?"

Ginny's face flushed. "Sorry professor… I was out flying."

"And you?" Anessa asked, alternating her gaze to fall on Maggie.

"I was just out with Ginny," she explained. "We would have been in earlier, but I crashed into her and it took a few minutes to get it together."

Anessa looked from Ginny to Maggie and back to Ginny. "You remember what I told you last night, I expect?" she said to Ginny. "Both of you will serve detention Friday night in my classroom at seven sharp. Clear?"

Both girls nodded. "Yes ma'am," they said in unison. They scurried off in opposite directions, both forgetting to say goodnight.

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**So what do you think? Awful as I said it would be?**

**If you pity me, please leave me a review. Thanks ;)**

**Lady Cardea**


	2. Detention With Maggie

**Disclaimer – It's all JK Rowling's, save for the plot and OC's.**

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"Detention already?" Hermione asked incredulously Friday afternoon during lunch. Ginny shrugged. The week had flown by and already Ginny was loaded with homework. "How did you manage that?"

Ginny shrugged again as a swarm of owls flooded into the Great Hall. A small rust colored owl landed softly in front of her, holding a small scrap of parchment. Quickly she opened it to find Harry's messy writing scrawled across the paper.

_Ginny¸ _he wrote

_I can't say much in this letter because it could be intercepted, but I just want to tell you that Ron and I are both okay. Give our love to Hermione. _

_Harry_

Completely dissatisfied with the shortness and stiff manner of the letter, Ginny crumpled it in her hand. She had been expecting a bit more in her first letter from Harry, or at least an assurance that he loved her still. _But he's very busy_, Ginny reminded herself. With a shrug she tossed the letter into her bag and watched as the delivering owl flew away.

"Who was that from?" Hermione questioned, closing her Potions book and setting down her quill.

Ginny looked up. "My mum," she lied. "Just reminding me to be studying."

Hermione's face showed obvious confusion but she did not question further. "How do you like the new professor?" she asked instead.

"She's nice," Ginny said. "I've only had her twice though."

"I had her this morning. She's brilliant," Hermione said. "She reminds me of the DA meetings we had back in fifth year. Do you remember?"

Ginny smiled. "Yes, I remember."

Neville, who had secretly been eavesdropping two seats down the whole meal, popped his head up at mention of the DA. "We should start those up again," he said hopefully. "I think they actually helped me."

"Well I don't know if you've noticed," Ginny said gently. "But Harry is gone this year."

"I know that," Neville said defensively. His ears turned red but he did not seem overly affected. "But you know the Dark Arts as much as anyone. Next to Harry, you've got to be the best. You could run the meetings."

Ginny was flattered, though not convinced. "What would be the point? Umbridge is gone and we can study openly anyway."

Neville slapped the copy of the Daily Prophet he had been reading down on the table. The headline was '_The Dark Lord vs. the Wizarding World: War is coming'_. Ginny scrunched her nose. There had been three more attacks within a week and more signs of the Dark Lord growing stronger. "I don't know about you," Neville said, "but I want to be ready when the war does come. I may not be the smartest but I still want to fight."

"I'll think about it, okay?" Ginny said to satisfy him, as she stood to leave. "I've got to go to detention now. See you later, 'Mione." Hermione did not look up from the book she had begun to read moments before, but waved the younger away absently. Ginny exited the Great Hall and made her way across the castle, finally arriving at the familiar classroom she was to serve detention in. Maggie was already there when she arrived, sitting on a desk, leaning back on her open palms, legs swinging softly back and forth. She looked peaceful, but bored, though as she spotted Ginny, her face perked up.

"Hello, partner in crime," the said with a toothy grin, sliding off the desk.

Ginny grinned in return. "Hello," she said. "Is Professor Duff here yet?"

And as if she had been listening, in came Anessa Duff, perfectly on time. "Hello, s," she said calmly, setting down the box of books, probably all concerning the Dark Arts. There were two others beside it, both equally as large.

"Hullo, professor," the two of them said in unison, moving to stand side by side.

"What are those?" Maggie asked, peeking over the top of the 4 foot high box.

Anessa looked back over her shoulder, "Books. Dark Arts books. That's going to be your duty tonight; each of you will be sorting a box. I have one more to go get, before the others get here."

"Others?" Ginny asked.

Her professor gave her a devious smirk. "It seems that you two aren't the only premature rule breakers. I was expecting the first couple of weeks to go smoothly, but it seems I have a few people to keep my eyes on this year," she said, glancing between the two of them. "I have to go get the last box from my room. You can pick a box if you want and get started. All four have to be sorted separately, so don't worry about mixing them. And if the others come, tell them I'll be right back."

As she left, Ginny and Maggie each took one of the boxes and moved them to two desks side by side, with some difficulty. Maggie began to take the books out one by one, neatly putting them in stacks of A's, B's, C's, and so on. Ginny, one desk over, dumped the whole box out and began to sort them by author's last name.

"This doesn't seem like it's going to take long," Maggie commented, having two stacks made in the corner of her desk. "Do you think she's got more for us to do?"

Ginny shrugged, plowing through the books to find the A authors. "Maybe," she replied. Both s looked up as the door opened and closed behind someone. Or rather, two someone's.

Standing there in the doorway was Miles Bletchley and a Hufflepuff in his year who Ginny knew to be Susan Bones. They hadn't come together, she could tell, but they had arrived simultaneously.

"Detention, Ginny?" Miles said with a grin.

"It would appear that way, wouldn't it?" Ginny responded with a roll of her eyes. "And I don't know how many times I've told you, Bletchley. Don't call me Ginny."

"But it's your name, love," he counteracted slyly.

Ginny glared. "Not to you."

Miles didn't respond to her, but he gave her a suggestive wink before turning back toward the door, as Anessa Duff reappeared with another box. Miles went forward and helped her, by taking it and setting it on a desk.

"Good evening, professor," he said charmingly. Ginny had to restrain herself from obvious signs of repulsion.

"Hello, Mr. Bletchley," Anessa returned in a half-flat manner. It was obvious that his charm was not working on her. Ginny's respect for the new professor rose a little after that. "Well good, the two of you are here. Each of you can take one of these boxes and start sorting in alphabetical order. When all of you are done, I want the desks cleaned and then you may leave. Got it?"

Miles, Ginny, and Susan nodded, but Maggie was oblivious, still sorting into little stacks.

"Right, well, I have some other things to do, so get started and don't leave until you're all four done. I'll see you later," she said, wiggling her fingers and exiting the room, shutting the door softly behind her. Miles was quick to levitate his box to the desk beside Ginny's, though he moved it so his was facing hers. Susan moved her desk as Miles had, though hers was sitting in front of Maggie's instead, so the desks made a sort of rectangle, each able to see the others.

"Hey Susan," Maggie said when she finally looked up. "When did you get here?"

Susan laughed. "You're so slow," she said. "We got here a few minutes ago. What are you here for anyway? You've never gotten detention before in your life."

"I was flying and ran into Ginny," she said. "And when we came in it was after curfew and Professor Duff caught us."

"You don't fly," Susan said, confused.

Maggie looked uncomfortable. "I just wanted to try so I'm not completely hopeless."

Susan and Maggie continued to talk, but Ginny was too busy sorting to join their conversation. She was thinking about Harry, and how much she missed his touch. She kept thinking back to the past summer they had spent together, before she knew he would be leaving. He had stayed at the Burrow, and even though they had decided not to be together, they were. In secret, of course, so even Ron and Hermione were under the impression that they were 'just friends' again. She remembered lying in bed at night, fighting her eyes to stay awake in the dark until Hermione was asleep. Harry would creep into her room, softly and quietly, and gently he would take her hand and tug until she slid out of her bed and they crept outside together, to sit under the moon. Most nights they would watch the stars together, pointing out constellations that they had each come to be familiar with. And then he would kiss her, as softly and gently as had taken her hand, and they would lay there for what precious hours they could until they both had to sneak back inside and sleep for the remainder of the night.

Ginny was drawn back to reality with the slam of a book. She looked up and Miles was watching her with a mischievous grin plastered on his tan face. "Fantasizing about me again, Ginny?" he asked. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"You're about to make me lose my dinner, Bletchley," she shot back and continued to sort her books.

"Oh come on, Gin," she shuddered as he called her a name which only the people closest to her called her, "I'm not so bad."

"If it's the 'I kill kittens' kind of not so bad, then sure, I agree," she said with a shrug.

Miles put his hand to his chest. "Oh, that hit me hard, Gin," he said half serious.

"I told you, Bletchley. Don't call me Gin. Or Ginny. Or Ginevra. To you, I am Weasley," she snapped. "Got it?"

"Ginevra," Miles echoed with a grin on his face. "So that's your real name, is it?"

Ginny rolled her eyes and smacked her forehead. "Oh bugger," she mumbled, and then looked at Miles and rose her voice. "Could you just do me a favor and not talk to me? You're making me work slower and really getting on my nerves."

"As you wish," he said, mock bowing from his desk. The pair both continued sorting through their books. It took nearly another half hour before the four students were all through sorting, and the books were back in the boxes. They each set their box down on the floor beside Professor Duff's desk, and began to wipe the tables in the room, which took them all of twenty minutes.

Ginny quickly said goodbye to both Maggie and Susan, whom she had barely spoken to, though she only felt it polite to do so, and hurried from the room. Miles was quick to catch her by her wrist and yank her back.

"Let go of me!" Ginny demanded, now just north of annoyance.

Miles let her arm go, but walked beside her, even as she sped up to get away from him. "What is so bad about me, anyway?" he asked in all seriousness.

Ginny rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Do you honestly have to ask me that?" She looked at his face and his eyes were plainly confused, waiting for an answer. She continued, "You're a Slytherin," she said. "And if that is not enough, you are friends with Draco Malfoy, and all the rest of _them_. You're arrogant, cruel, and wicked and I don't expect any more from you than a nice little tattooing ceremony when you get out of here, if you know what I mean. And for some reason, I'm pretty sure you do," she finished.

Miles' eyes flared at her speech. He opened his mouth to answer, but closed it soon after. He was stunned, and did not know how to respond. He simply said, "Not everyone is what you think, Weasley."

"That's true," she said. "But you, I am positive, are exactly what I think." She turned and walked away from him, and this time Miles did not follow.

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Ginny had never been very good at Potions. She was not horrible, but anything over the standard level perplexed her. The most recent assignment from Professor Slughorn was for each student to make a Befuddlement Drought, which was slightly more difficult than what Ginny had tried before. She worked for hours Saturday afternoon, becoming more frustrated each time her potion failed and she had to start over. Around six thirty, after she had eaten supper, Ginny finally decided to go ask Professor Slughorn for help. When she arrived in his classroom, however, Draco Malfoy was the only person occupying the room. He paid little attention to her as she sat in the back of the classroom, decidedly waiting for the Potions Master to return.

After twenty minutes of waiting awkwardly, she was bored, so she pulled her ingredients out and began to read through her instructions again. She didn't know what she had done wrong, as she reread every word carefully. She must have read through the set of six simple instructions a hundred times, and finally a guttural groan of annoyance rang through the previously silent room. Draco looked up with a raised eyebrow, suspicion wandering over his face.

"Weasley, could you please contain yourself? Your beastlier qualities are starting to show through," he drawled in a laid back manner, and continued with whatever he had been doing.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Ginny hissed, her annoyance growing. "I just can't figure this out."

Draco looked back over at her. "What is it?"

"Nothing," she snapped.

With a grin, Draco sauntered over to Ginny's work area and ed up her instruction sheet before she could react. "A Befuddlement Drought," he said aloud. "What is there to be confused about?"

"I don't need you to be mocking me right now, Malfoy, so just give me back my paper and go away," she demanded, moving to her parchment away. He moved it out of her reach and she nearly fell face-flat on the desk, but manage to catch herself. "Malfoy," she growled, glaring daggers at the blond boy. "Give. It. Back."

"Did you cut the scurvy grass into one inch pieces?" he asked, ignoring her demands to return the parchment.

Ginny stared blankly at him. "Yes."

"Go get that little cauldron over there," he said, pointing to the corner.

"_What_ are you doing, Malfoy?" Ginny asked, not moving from where she sat.

Draco looked up at her casually. "It would appear that I am _helping_ you, Weasley, so do what I say."

Ginny, feeling shocked, retrieved the cauldron he had pointed to and set it on the desk. Wordlessly she began to assemble the three ingredients she had used so much of over the past few hours: scurvy-grass, sneezewort, and lovage.

"Now cut the scurvy-grass. The pieces should be exactly one inch, no more, no less or it won't work," he said. She did as he told her and when the first ingredient was prepared she went to drop it into the cauldron, but Draco's hand shot up and caught her at the wrist.

"Don't," he said. "You have to drop them in one at a time, after you add the lovage."

"Okay," she said, and followed his instructions. He told her the rest of what she should do, and Ginny was completely shocked when her potion turned out just as it should be. "How did you do that, Malfoy?" she asked in disbelief. "I've been trying all day long and it hasn't once turned out right."

Draco shrugged, "I can not help that you are incompetent, Weasley."

Ginny rolled her eyes as she filled a vial of her potion and slipped it into her bag. "Well if you're going to be that way about it, then fine. Thank you," she said stiffly and turned to go. Draco made no reply.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sunday afternoon during lunch, Maggie came to the table and sat across from Ginny.

"Good morning," she said with a tired grin. She was drinking coffee, but Ginny wasn't sure where she had gotten it from.

"Afternoon is more like it," Ginny replied. "Slept in, huh?"

Maggie nodded. "So what are you doing today?"

"Homework," Ginny said with a groan. "It's only been a week and I'm already swimming in it. How about you?"

"I don't have any," she said with a proud grin.

Ginny glared. "I you so bad."

"Oh, no you don't," Maggie said, smiling. "So I have a favor to ask you, but you do not have to agree if you don't want to. Okay?"

"Okay. What is it?"

"Well, you know how bad of a flyer I am," she started, "and usually I really would not care, but Professor McGonagall is insistent that each student at least _pass_ first year flying. And I didn't. Until now she didn't really make a big deal about it, she was just sort of watching me, but now she's insisting that I learn the basics without crashing. She said if I don't then I'm going to have to take remedial flying until I do. So I was wondering, and of course you can say no, but would you mind like, tutoring me, kind of? I just need to practice a few times a week with someone good, and I watched you that one night, and you are_ good_. So I was wondering…?"

"Of course," Ginny said, flattered. "I can any night that I don't have too much homework. And on weekends, if you want."

"Really?" Maggie's face lit up. "That would be great. Thanks, Ginny!"

Ginny nodded and said goodbye to Maggie as she ran off, leaving the ed to her breakfast.

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**Okay, so Chapter two is over. What did you think? Awful? Not so awful? I would really like to know if you have a minute to tell me xD**

**Thanks to **nun outfits are cool**and **sweetvanillalover**for reviewing Chapter 1, and thanks so much to Amanda for reviewing and beta-ing. **

**Until the next post, (and remember, feedback is fabulous!)**

**Lady Cardea**


	3. Moving in with Malfoy

**Hey, sorry it took so long to update. I've been trying to work out the plotline and I think I've got it kind of set. So, here's the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer – None of it's mine, unless it's mine.**

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_It was already past midnight and Ginny was fighting to keep her eyes open. A few minutes before she remembered the gradual change in Hermione's breathing to a steady in-and-out. She decided that now was a safe time, so she tilted her head and went into a fake fit of coughs, quieting down after thirty seconds. Two minutes later, the door to her bedroom creaked open and she felt a gentle pinch on her hand, tugging her out of bed._

"_Shh," Harry whispered into the darkness as Ginny slid out of the bed and the pair walked slowly and quietly down the hall, down the stairs, and out the back door. With a giggle Ginny took off running, down the path leading away from the Burrow. A smile occupied Harry's face when he realized that she was on the run, and he sped off after her. _

_He caught up quickly, managing to get a hold on her waist, though his balance was not as good as his aim, and they both toppled to the ground. Ginny was on her back and Harry was leaning over her, an arm on either side of her head. He leaned down and kissed her softly._

"_You're beautiful, Gin," he whispered. "So beautiful…"_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hermione?" Ginny asked when she arrived back at the Common Room after lunch. Hermione, who had been working on homework, lifted her head in response to the younger girl's recognition.

"Mm?"

Ginny sat across the table from her. "You are Head Girl," she said, cocking her head to the left.

"Yes, so?" Hermione questioned. Her brow creased in confusion.

"Well, don't you have a private dormitory and common room, so you don't have to work where it's so loud?" Ginny asked. Despite the fact that most of the seventh year girls were not attending this year, their house was still full, mostly with younger students, which made it difficult to find a quiet spot in the Common Room.

Hermione considered this. "Well, yes, but I have to share the Common Room with the Head Boy."

"Who is the Head Boy?" Ginny asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Who else? Draco Malfoy," she said. "His father bought him into it, I am sure. Even his mate Blaise Zabini would have been a better choice."

Ginny shrugged. "I think you should move in. It would make for quieter studying, at least."

"Me, alone with Draco Malfoy? I would rather not, Gin. That's why you are staying in my dorm," Hermione said.

"I could come over after classes to do my homework with you," Ginny suggested. "Besides, it would be nice to study in there, where it's quiet."

Hermione seemed to consider this in her head for a minute, looking around at all the loud first and second years occupying various portions of the Common Room. "Well it is kind of hard to work in here…" and then she shrugged. "I guess I could move over there. Will you mind moving back to your old dorm, though? I mean you haven't been in with the other girls this year."

Ginny shrugged. "That is not a big deal, there are only two of them and they hardly talk anyway." It was true. The two girls who had returned to Hogwarts, in Ginny's year were both fairly quiet and involved with their studies. "So when are you going to go?" she asked.

"I guess tonight," Hermione replied. "I mean, I might as well. I won't have time during the week."

Ginny nodded. "That's true. Want some help?"

"Yeah, that would be great. Most of my stuff I can just put in a suitcase and shrink it, though," she said, closing her book and gathering her quill and parchment. "But hey, could you do me a favor?"

"Sure?"

"Stay with me tonight?" Hermione asked, giving Ginny a puppy face.

Ginny giggled. "Yeah, why not?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Within an hour Hermione was packed a moved into her Head Girl suite, and both girls were sitting in the private Common Room, working on their respective homework. The portrait to the private quarters entry, which was a painting of a large blue dragon circling a castle tower, swung open to reveal a sopping wet Draco Malfoy. His expression seemed to darken, if that were possible, when he spotted Hermione and Ginny sitting on the couch before the fire.

"What are _you_ doing here, Granger? Weasley?" he sneered, slamming the portrait behind him.

"Well, Malfoy, you can't have thought there was no Head Girl this year, really," Hermione said in an exasperated voice, rolling her eyes.

Draco raised his eyebrow, resituating his wet leather bag on his shoulder. "Well what is Weasel doing here?" he asked nastily, and then continued mockingly. "Oh no, don't tell me, she's Head Girl too?"

"Oh shut up, Malfoy," Hermione demanded. "She's just visiting me. Don't pretend you won't have visitors as well."

Draco, having been beat, began to grumble and walk toward the door to his bedroom, which was shut tightly. He muttered the password and opened the door.

"What happened to _you?"_ Ginny asked before he could step inside.

He looked up with a glare resting on his eyes. "Peeves," he spat, stepping into his bedroom and slamming the door. Simultaneously, both girls burst into laughter, unable to contain themselves.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The next morning Ginny awoke early and showered in Hermione's bathroom, quickly dressing in her school skirt, blouse, tie, stockings, and Gryffindor robes. She dried her hair and did her make-up with the same amazing speed, and was ready for breakfast by the time Hermione was waking up.

"Am I late?" the older girl asked groggily.

Ginny shook her head. "Nope, I'm early. I'll wait in your common room, okay?" Hermione nodded and yawned, taking her place in the bathroom. Ginny exited the bedroom and closed the door, turning around to find Blaise Zabini and Miles Bletchley sitting at two of the chairs around the large table in the corner.

"Well, well, what have we here?" Miles drawled with a smirk.

Blaise grinned, his eyes glowing. "Good morning, Weaselette."

"Well it's not good anymore," Ginny bit back, sitting in an overstuffed chair by the fire.

"That hurt," Blaise said, clutching his heart, though the grin still remained. "What are you in here for, anyway?"

"'Mione," Ginny mumbled, jerking a thumb to the door behind her.

Miles frowned. "Cheating on me with Granger, eh?"

A guttural growl erupted from Ginny's throat. "_Bletchley…"_

"Oy, mate! She's gone rabid!" Blaise exclaimed. "Next she'll be foaming at the mouth."

"Would you two please _shut up?_" Ginny demanded, eyes flaring.

"As you wish, love," Miles said, still smirking.

Blaise raised his eyebrow and lowered his voice to speak to Miles. "Well, _someone_ is rather touchy. Must not be a morning person," he commented.

"No, mate, she's always like this," Miles replied. "I tend to strike up this emotion in her."

"I can still hear you!" Ginny said loudly across the room, her voice showing obvious agitation. Both boys gave her charming grins. She rolled her eyes and looked up as Hermione entered the room, finding Ginny and asking, "Ready?"

"Yes," Ginny said, jumping to her feet and heading to the door. Miles and Blaise both stood when she did. Her gaze moved tiredly in their direction. "What, _now?"_

Miles gave her an innocent grin. "It's a gentlemen's custom to stand when a lady leaves or enters the room or table," he explained as if it were basic principles of living. Ginny gave another agitated growl and stormed out of the room, a befuddled Hermione following, leaving the two boys to chuckle at the redhead's fiery temper.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

During lunch Ginny made a quick trip to her Common Room, depositing all of her morning books on her bed and picking up the two she would need for the afternoon. The amount of homework due in the next few days was piling up quickly, and already she was overwhelmed. When she finally made it to the Great Hall for lunch, Hermione was waiting.

"What took you?"

"Too many books," Ginny said quickly, before stuffing her face with whatever she could reach, washing it down with a long drink of pumpkin juice.

Hermione's face conveyed sheer horror. "Merlin, Gin," she said. "Breath between bites. You look as if you haven't eaten in ages."

Ginny shrugged and said through a full mouth, something that sounded vaguely similar to 'Not enough time.'

When she had finished in an amazing six minutes, Ginny sat back and groaned. "I ate too fast," she said, resting a hand on her stomach.

"I saw," Hermione replied with a giggle. "How're classes going?"

"Bloody awful," Ginny groaned. "I've got homework up to my knees."

"Well, do you want to come work on it tonight in my dorm? I have patrol around nine but I'm sure we'll be done by then," Hermione offered.

Ginny's face lit up as she thought of another night away from the loud Gryffindor Common Room. "Oh thank you Hermione, you're an angel."

"I try," the older girl said, smiling. "But right now, I have to get to class. See you tonight?"

Ginny nodded and picked up her own bag as Hermione took hers and walked out of the Great Hall.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

As it neared nine o'clock, Hermione began to close her books and gather her parchments and other supplies, depositing them in her bedroom and leaving Ginny to finish her homework. She worked for nearly two hours more before slumping down over her opened book and drifting into sleep.

"What is _she_ doing here?" she heard one voice ask.

"I think she was waiting for you," a more playful voice responded.

The first voice scoffed in disgust. "Granger isn't even here with her this time."

"Like I said…"

"Shut _up_, Zabini," the first voice demanded. Ginny felt a kick in her shin and was woken to see Draco Malfoy standing above her, a questioning look on his face. "Weasley. What are you doing in here?"

Ginny's face crumpled. "Where am I?" she asked tiredly, rubbing her eyes and finding that Blaise Zabini was standing behind Draco.

Malfoy rolled his eyes, looking irritated. "The Head Boy and Girl quarters. And since you are neither…"

"I was with Hermione," Ginny said groggily, beginning to wake up. "What time is it?'

"It's almost midnight, love," Blaise said with a playful grin.

"Shit," Ginny mumbled, beginning to assemble her things.

"So how are you and Pothead?" Draco asked tauntingly, seeming to leer in her direction.

Ginny, at her early stage of awakening in the middle of the night, had a low bit of tolerance which Draco was treading on heavily already. "Shut up, Malfoy," she hissed, continuing with her things.

"Oh, touchy are we, Weasley?" he asked. "That's right. Potty broke up with you, didn't he? Couldn't quite cut it where it mattered, huh?"

Ginny stood, facing him, her face only inches from him, though he was nearly five inches taller. "My personal life is absolutely none of your business, Draco Malfoy, but if you must know, Harry broke up with me to protect me from you and people like your father."

"People like my father? Please, Weasley, what kind of people are we?" Draco asked, his temper rising.

Blaise began to slip toward the portrait. "I think I'm just going to go…" he said, opening the door.

"Deatheaters," Ginny said, her voice dropping low and tense. "Killers. Heartless killers who can't think for themselves so they follow another killer like sheep."

"Oh Merlin, she's done it," Blaise mumbled, hurrying to shut the door behind him as he left.

Draco shoved Ginny backward, making her stumble a few feet. She stepped back as he advanced on her, her back hitting the wall. His hands clamped to her arms, pushing her farther back. "Killers, are we?" he asked her in a threateningly low hiss. "I could kill you right now," he said, putting a hand on her throat, pressing his thumb into her skin.

Ginny struggled to get away, her fingers prying at his arms. Draco snatched her hands and held them on either side of her head, slamming her backwards. "Are you frightened, _Ginevra?"_ he asked in a low growl, spitting her name like acid.

"Of _you_?" Ginny scoffed. "Cowards don't frighten me."

"Cowards?" Draco echoed. "In this position, you've got the nerve to call me a coward? Stupid Gryffindor bravery, you think?"

Ginny's face conveyed amusement. "Well _He_ gave you a mission last year, if I'm not mistaken," she said. Draco's face tensed, his features becoming more severe and serious. "But you couldn't do it, could you? It was simple, really. Kill Dumbledore and become _His_ heir, is that what they told you? Pretty good deal for likes of you, but you couldn't even do _that_."

Draco pushed her against the wall again, and turned away, his back to her. "Get – out," he gritted out in an almost inaudible tone. Ginny stood was she was, stunned.

"GET OUT!" Draco yelled, turning to face her, his eyes blazing with fury. Ginny collected her books and ran from the room, slamming the door behind her.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The week passed quickly for Ginny, and she soon forgot about the frightening scene with Malfoy. Friday night after supper she had promised to meet Maggie on the Quidditch Field to practice, and then stay the night with Hermione. The latter she was dreading in a small dosage, hoping she would not encounter Draco again. Sometime in the course of the week Blaise had approached her, asking about the night.

"I heard him yelling," Zabini had remarked. "I went back later to make sure you didn't leave any limbs behind."

Ginny had grunted a response, to which Blaise had chuckled, "You've got guts with the best of them," before he walked away.

When Ginny reached the field, Maggie was standing at the entrance, broom in hand, looking nervous.

"You ready?" Ginny questioned, mounting her broom. Maggie nodded and followed suit, having a touch of trouble kicking off. "Listen," Ginny instructed. "Put both feet firm on the ground before you kick off, and when you do, use all your strength."

Maggie did as she was instructed and hovered in the air steadily. She burst into a grin, "Wow. If the rest is this easy, I'll be soaring in no time."

Ginny giggled, "I won't be such a good teacher. That was a basic."

"Well, it was worth a shot I guess," the brunette said, shrugging. They flew for hours, though Maggie didn't make much progress, she did learn how to fly a straight line without falling, which in itself was an accomplishment.

As they walked in, both sweaty, tired, and ready to go sleep the weekend away, Ginny and Maggie began to talk.

"So where'd your family come from?" Ginny asked

Maggie hesitated. "Um… Ireland," she said decidedly. Ginny's brow faltered but she shrugged it away. Maggie was obviously tired.

"Do you have any siblings?" she asked.

"No," Maggie said slowly. "Have you?"

Ginny sighed. "Oh Merlin, yes. I have six older brothers."

Maggie laughed. "That's got to be interesting. Is that why you're such a good flyer?"

"I guess it is," Ginny replied. "Four of my brothers played Quidditch."

"Where is your brother, what is it, Ron? Where is he this year? Isn't he supposed to be in his seventh year?" Maggie questioned as they entered the building.

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, he should be. But he didn't come back this year because of… personal reasons."

Maggie was about to answer as Professor Duff rounded the corner much as she had the only nights before. She raised her eyebrow at the two girls, who both looked as if they were going to drop at any second.

"You two are pushing curfew," she said, digging her hands in her pocket, pulling out a watch. She studied it for a moment and looked up between the two sixth years. "You've got six minutes. Hurry to your Common Rooms."

"Yes, Professor," they said in unison as Anessa walked away. Maggie turned to face Ginny. "Thanks so much for helping me tonight. Still up to doing it again?" she asked hopefully, watching Ginny's face for an answer.

Ginny grinned, "Sure. I'll come see you at supper tomorrow if I have enough of my homework done. Is that okay?"

"Um… actually, I have something to do tomorrow. What about Sunday?"

"Sure," Ginny said with a shrug. "I'll see you Sunday, then."

Maggie gave a toothy grin. "Cool, Sunday. Thanks again!" The girl gave Ginny a quick hug and darted off the hallway, though it struck Ginny as odd that she was heading not in the direction of the Ravenclaw Common Room, but the Slytherin's.

-.-.-.-

"Ginny, there you are!" Hermione exclaimed when Ginny entered the private Common Room at 11:07. "I was beginning to think you decided not to come."

"Sorry, 'Mione," Ginny said. "I went out to fly for a bit and had to grab some clothes. Mind if I use your shower?"

Hermione shook her head and motioned to the bathroom. Ginny went in quickly, cleaning herself and redressing in pajama shorts and an old white t-shirt of Ron's before emerging into the Common Room exactly 19 minutes later. Now, however, the room was occupied by Draco Malfoy and a Slytherin girl in Ginny's year, whose name was Melinda Bobbin. She, too, had red hair, though it was a more auburn shade, opposed to Ginny's flaming orange-red. They were headed for his bedroom.

"Oh, Weasley," Draco sneered. "Trying to blind us with your pale legs?"

Ginny smirked in his directions, giving him a look to challenge the worst of the Slytherins. "Try not to be too loud, okay, Malfoy? And you might want to tell your friend there about your little, ehem, _problem_, down under."

Draco glared threateningly at Ginny, who was so openly challenging him which made him want to lunge at her full speed. Melinda looked confused and she stepped back. "What problem, Draco?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

His face turned into a charming grin when he looked back at her, lifting a finger to his lips. "Don't worry about it, love. I haven't got a problem, except that I please too much," he said smoothly. This seemed to ease the girl's worries as he led her into the room.

"Ginny, what was that about?" Hermione asked, looking from the door to Ginny and back.

Ginny shrugged, "He started it."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"_...Make her trust you and then bring her to us. Potter will come straight to her, and we'll be ready. Do you understand?"_

_Draco's lip curled into a snarl. "What makes you think I want to earn his favor, anyway?" he snapped._

"_This isn't a decision we're giving you. You will join him. Or you will die," his father said viciously._

"_If I accept?" Draco asked, keeping his voice under control, sounding calm and cool. _

"_Should you succeed, My Lord is willing to pardon you of all your previous disappointments, particularly last spring. If you lead to the capture and death of Harry Potter, you will be rewarded greatly and our family will be raised high. You will look up to no one, save for the Dark Lord himself. You will be swimming in power, and no one will dispute your word," Lucius said, eyes gleaming with possibilities. "You will be untouchable."_

"_And if I should deny his request?" Draco dared to ask._

_Lucius slammed his hands palm down onto his desk, leaning forward and dropping his voice to a low hiss. "You will be tortured and killed by my Lord himself, your name forgotten."_

_Draco considered this for a few moments and finally re-aligned his eyes with his father's – something that they shared. "All I have to do is make her trust me so you can kidnap her?" Draco questioned. "It seems too easy."_

"_That's all," Lucius said, easing his grip on the table. "A small price to pay for eternal glory and unlimited power."_

_Draco nodded. "Well, when you put it that way…" he paused. "I accept."_

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**Wee, what do you think? Please leave me some reviews! I don't want to post again until I get at least 12. (meep)**

**I added a bit of a twist here and some odd behavior to be noted.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter and the second. Ta!**

**Lady Cardea**


	4. Into the Rush

**A/N – Sorry for the wait, guys. I've been busy. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer – All the characters apart from Anessa Duff and Maggie are JK Rowling's. The plot is, however, mine.**

**Oh, and thank you Amanda for beta-ing for me! Everyone should go read her stories. They are fabulous. Her penname is dracoginnyshipper so go read her stuff! Her stories are DxG also. The first one is Getting Over And Moving On and then there's the sequel Dreams Really Don't Come True, Right? They rock. Go read!**

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"_Ginny?" Harry asked, looking up at the peaceful redhead from where his head was resting on her lower torso._

"_Yeah?" Ginny asked in return as she wove her fingers through his messy black hair. She smiled down at him, a gesture which he returned._

"_If I were to go away, would you wait for me?" he asked vaguely._

_Ginny's eyebrows scrunched and she cocked her head to the left. "What do you mean, 'go away'?" she asked. Her hand stopped moving and merely rested on his head._

_Harry looked slightly uncomfortable. "I mean, well. If something were to happen, you know, with _Him_, and I had to go away for a few weeks, or even months, would you wait for me until I came back?"_

"_Harry… Are you trying to tell me something?" _

_Harry shook his head and smiled, resituating so his head was on her stomach, facing in the direction of her bare feet. He noticed her toe nails were painted dark red. "Nothing, Gin. Forget I said anything."_

_A temporary silence fell over them and Ginny began to play with his hair once more. "Yes," she said softly, moments later. "I'll wait for you, no matter how long it takes" She turned his head so his eyes met hers, and continued, "I'll wait for you forever."_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The weeks flew by for Ginny as she tried to juggle classes, lessons with Maggie, Quidditch (she had been named Captain and was expected to be holding try-outs within the first week of October, which was only days away), and warding off Miles Bletchley. Wednesday night she left a bulletin in the Gryffindor Common Room, informing every one that try-outs for the team were going to be held on Saturday morning, at nine sharp. She planned lessons with Maggie for Friday night directly after supper, where she would then proceed to stay the night with Hermione so she could finish her homework in quiet.

When Friday came, Ginny caught up with Maggie during Transfiguration. "Still up for tonight?" she asked the dark-headed girl, who nodded excitedly in return, giving her a toothy grin. "Sure am," she replied and the girls took their seats, waiting for class to start.

At supper that night, the owl post came in, dropping a letter in front of Ginny. The owl which had swooped down was black as night. The bird looked nd unfamiliar. She unraveled the letter, and read:

_Ginny, _

_Ron and I are still safe mostly. We hope you're doing well and keeping up with your classes. Please don't worry about us. Remember what you told me last summer._

_Love, _

_HP_

Ginny, once again dissatisfied with the letter she received, crumpled it and threw it in her bag where it would later join the previous one in the fire.

At that moment Hermione bustled in and took a seat across from Ginny, hurrying to pile food onto her plate before it all disappeared.

"Gin, you're still coming by tonight, yeah?" Hermione asked, ripping a roll in half and chomping down.

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, after Maggie and I finish flying."

Hermione snorted into her pumpkin juice. "Has she gotten any better yet?" Ginny shrugged and flashed the older girl a grin, indicating that she hadn't. "Figures," Hermione muttered, stuffing the remainder of her roll into her mouth.

"When are your rounds tonight?" Ginny asked, finishing her supper and leaned forward onto her elbows.

"Nine," she replied. "I probably won't be in when you are finished with Maggie, but I'll see you around midnight?"

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, sure."

The girls sat in silence as Hermione continued to wolf down the contents of her plate, finishing with a generous portion of the desert pudding.

"I better go," Ginny said when she looked around the Great Hall and could not find Maggie. "See you tonight."

Hermione nodded. "See you."

Ginny hurried out, stopping in her Common Room to retrieve Harry's firebolt, which he had left for her use while he was _away_. She remembered when he had given it to her.

"_Here Gin, take this," Harry said, handing her the handle of his broom. _

"_Harry, I can't. You got this from Sirius," she said, pushing it back into his hands._

_Harry said, "Gin, take it. Just keep it safe for me while I'm gone. You'll have much better use of it than I will, especially you being captain this year." He gave her a toothy grin, which made all of her anger melt away for a few moments._

Ginny arrived at the Quidditch Pitch moments after supper officially ended. Maggie had not arrived yet, so Ginny flew around alone, waiting. Nearly an hour passed and still there was no sign of the quirky Ravenclaw. She began to question herself on whether they had agreed for this night. _Yes,_ she told herself, _we decided in Transfiguration…_

After another thirty minutes, Ginny was sweating from flying around so she touched down, and with one more look around the Pitch, scurried back to the Head quarters, where Hermione was just leaving.

"You're back early, Gin," she observed, shrugging into her cloak.

Ginny shrugged. "Maggie didn't show up."

"That's too bad," Hermione remarked in a nonchalant tone. "See you!" And she was gone. Ginny entered the room and shut the door behind her. She changed quickly into red and white pajama bottoms, which were loose on her slender frame due to the fact that they had once been Ron's, and a form fitting white t-shirt that she had borrowed from Hermione's closet. When she was comfortable, Ginny began to take out her books and parchment, setting up on the table in the Common Room.

_Ugh,_ she thought to herself, _Potions._ Professor Slughorn had decided to assign another rather difficult potion for the class to complete over the weekend, and once more Ginny was stumped. After studying the directions for nearly half an hour, she began to idly wonder if Draco was in his room and would possibly help her. She avoided the option, however, for as long as she could before deciding it was her only choice if she wanted to finish tonight.

Hesitantly Ginny rose, carrying her book with her, and knocked on the door to Draco's private room. She heard a bit of shuffling and mumbling and then a shout from the other side. "What do you want, Granger? It's your night for patrol!" Malfoy yelled at her.

"It's Ginny," she said meekly and moments later the door swung open, an agitated Draco Malfoy standing before her. "Um, sorry to bother you," she began softly, getting a glimpse of Blaise Zabini sitting at a table in the back. "But I was wondering if maybe you could… I mean, I didn't want to ask since we hate each other and everything but last time you… You don't have to, but I just thought I would ask. Stupid, really…" she was rambling and realized that Malfoy was staring at her with a bemused expression. 

"Spit it out, Weaselette," he said in an exasperated tone, and then caught sight of her book. "Oh, Potions again?" Ginny nodded, hating how desperate she was for his help. "What do I get for helping you, huh?" His lips were curled into his usual Malfoy smirk.

Ginny rolled her eyes and sighed. "Forget it, Malfoy. I should have known better than to ask you," she said and turned. He caught her arm and jerked his head behind him.

"Get your ingredients and come in here. I'll help you," he said with a smirk. As Ginny went to retrieve her ingredients as he had said, she thought she heard him mumble something along the lines of 'incompetent Weasley's'. When she had collected her supplies she made her way to his room and lingered at the door, a bit frightened to proceed. "Well, get in here," Draco barked. "I don't have all night."

Ginny shot him a glare and walked through the door, hearing it close behind her. She dropped everything she was holding onto the table and looked over at Blaise, who was reading a Dark Arts book quietly. He was wearing glasses tonight, which she had never seen on him before. He looked up as she came to the table and nodded at her. "Weasley," he said in an amiable tone. She mumbled a 'hello' and he looked back down as Draco approached.

"Well hurry and show me what you're doing," he demanded.

Ginny snatched her book from under the small cauldron perched on the table and flipped to page 352, where the directions for a Wit-Sharpening potion. "It's just… I don't know, I tried to make it twice and I don't know what I'm doing wrong," she explained, becoming a bit nervous of being in a room alone with two Slytherin boys who were both older than she.

"I never liked this potion," Draco said aloud with a raised eyebrow as they were finishing. "The first time I tried to make it I spilt the Armadillo bile all over my robes. Smelled horrible all day." Ginny giggled at the thought of Draco Malfoy smelling like armadillo bile for a whole day. Draco studied her with a curious expression. "Think it's funny, huh?"

"Well of course it's funny," she said. "Anything that involves you messing up is funny. But it can't have made you smell much worse than you do already," she grinned. "Might have actually been an improvement, if you ask me."

"I suppose that is why no one asked you then," he shot back.

Blaise looked up from his book and watched the pair bickering back and forth, agitated that he could no longer concentrate on his book. "Could you two keep it down or go somewhere else to flirt? Honestly, you're as bad as Lavender and Male Weasley last year," he drawled with a bored voice.

"We are _not_ flirting," Ginny said. "You don't flirt with your enemies."

"No, I don't," Blaise replied smartly. "But you do."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Okay Weasley, if we're done then, you know, the door is right there," he said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

Ginny gathered her books and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Way to be subtle, Malfoy. Thanks for helping me… again," she said lamely and as her hand touched the door knob there was a knock from the other side. Ginny froze and looked over at Draco and Blaise, who had looked up from his book once more.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot," Malfoy said. "Open the door."

Ginny's eyes rolled back to the door and she opened it, finding herself staring Hermione in the eye.

"Malfoy I was just looking for-" her voice stopped as she realized the person she had been looking for was standing before her. "Ginny?"

"Hi, 'Mione," Ginny said, grinning sheepishly. She shoved the other girl out of the doorway and shut it behind her, dumping all of her supplies on the couch. "How was patrol?"

Hermione yanked the younger girl's arm and stared her in the face. "Don't even. What the hell were you doing in _Malfoy's_ room?" she demanded.

"He was helping me with potions," Ginny said. Hermione gave her a doubting look. "It's true! You can go ask him!"

"Why didn't you just ask me for help?" she questioned.

Ginny shrugged. "You were on your rounds."

"Oh," Hermione sighed, looking defeated. "Well, I suppose you're right. Just be careful, Gin. Those boys are dangerous."

"I know," Ginny replied to satisfy the other girl.

Hermione seemed to ease up after being reassured, and went on about her night. "You'll never guess who I saw out tonight," Hermione said, tacking "in the dungeons" to the end of her sentence.

Ginny's eyebrows crumpled. "Who?" she asked.

"Maggie," Hermione said.

"What? Did you talk to her?" Ginny asked.

Hermione shook her head. "I tried," she said. "But when she saw me she darted off in the other direction."

"That's odd…" Ginny observed, confusion overcoming her.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- 

"Okay everyone," Ginny said loudly to the crowd before her. "I want you to separate into four groups. Over here," she pointed to the right of her, "I want all the keepers. Over here," she pointed to the left, "my seekers. Back here," she jerked a thumb over her shoulder, "the chasers. And Here," she pointed forward, into the mob, "the beaters. Okay? Move!"

There was a shuffle and 100 or so people moved to their respective spots. "All right, now I want anyone who is _not_ in Gryffindor to leave the field, _now!"_ Only a handful of students left the field. She figured now that Harry Potter was not the Captain, it wasn't as big of a deal to be at try-outs for his team. Ginny would have been perfectly happy to keep the team from the previous year, but to her dismay there were many problems with that desire. Katie Bell and Demelza Robins had graduated in June, Harry and Ron were obviously no longer available, Jimmy Peakes' parents had decided he could no longer attend Hogwarts, so the only remaining team mate besides herself was Ritchie Coote. This being the case, she had promised him a space on the team to save herself one less choice. Plus, she liked Ritchie. He was a brilliant beater and a fun guy to talk to, even if he was a year younger than herself.

"All right, beaters!" Ginny yelled, "Get in the air and show me what you've got. The rest of you stay put until it's your turn!" Ginny mounted Harry's Firebolt and pushed off the ground along with just below twenty others, mostly boys.

Ginny elected herself to be the moving target and began to zoom around the pitch, dodging bludgers and deflecting them with a bat of her own. Slowly she worked her way through the competitors, occasionally asking one to return to the pitch and eliminating them from the choice. She was finally left with three in the air, one being Ritchie Coote, another was Colin Creevey, and the third was a boy she didn't recognize. She finally chose Ritchie and Colin, touching down and allowing a few moments for the others to congratulate the new Beaters.

"Brilliant job, Colin," Ginny said with a grin. She was happy to have another friend on the team. And then to both Colin and Ritchie she said, "Could you two get the bludgers back in the case, please?"

"Sure, Gin," Ritchie said with a nod and they pushed off once more.

Ginny turned back to the group. "Chasers! Get up in the air. I'll be keeping for you. Each of you will get five shots and whichever two of you make the best shots will be added to them to the team. Got it?" There were many collective nods. "All right, let's go!"

Picking the Chasers was a relatively easy task. Exactly two of the group made all five of their goals. Dean Thomas and a Natalie McDonald, who was a quiet girl in Ginny's year were soon after added to the team, and took their places on a bench at the edge of the field with Colin and Ritchie, only to be called up into the air right after to test the Keepers. Cormac McLaggen was present as he had been the year before, much to Ginny's dismay. She found herself wishing that Hermione were there to Confund him as she had done when Ron was trying out. Ginny was relieved when Victoria Frobisher, also in her year, showed up for tryouts, though she was a bit late as she had been in a Charms club meeting, and had blown the other keepers out of the water. Her flying was superb and Ginny was more than happy to give her the spot, further angering Cormac.

At last, the part Ginny dreaded most arose: Seekers. In the back of her mind she knew she did not want to choose because she felt as if she would be replacing Harry, but she knew the team had to have one, so reluctantly she released the Snitch deciding that the first one to catch it would be her last addition to the team. This person happened to be Kenneth Towler, a boy in Ginny's year with broad shoulders and dark hair, around Harry's height and size. Ginny wondered if she had subconsciously wanted him to win, due to his resemblance to Harry.

When the field was cleared, Ginny had her new team come into a huddle.

"All right," she said, putting on a smile. "Congratulations to all of you. I'm feeling pretty good about the team so far. But first, I want to say that we've all got to get along if we want the cup this year. No fighting in practice, okay?" 

There were a few glances around the circle, most of them targeting at Victoria and Ritchie. No one said a word.

Ginny raised her eyebrow and looked between the two, who would not look at one another. "Out with it," she said. Everyone was quiet. "Victoria, Ritchie, something I should know?"

Victoria looked put-out. "We dated last year and Ritchie has been sour with me since we broke up," she explained tartly.

"I am not_ sour_ at you! You're just always being snooty!" Ritchie shot back.

"I'm not snooty! You were just mad because I didn't want to spend every second of my day snogging you!" Victoria shouted.

"I _never_ got to snog you! You were always at Charms club or some other rubbish," Ritchie muttered angrily.

"Enough!" Ginny yelled. "Okay, look. Victoria's keeper and Ritchie's a beater, so you won't have much interaction with each other. But I'm going to have to ask you to put aside your differences when we're practicing or playing, or both of you will be off the team. Got it?"

Both nodded but refused to look at each other. Ginny sighed. "All right, well I guess that's it for now. It's about 12:30, so you can probably catch the end of lunch if you hurry. Oh, and if you all could write down what days and times you are available for practicing, that would be wonderful. Just give them to me whenever, preferably this week so we can start practice," she said. Everyone nodded and said goodbye.

As Ginny entered the Great Hall, Maggie's head jerked up and she stood from her table, running to meet Ginny.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked. Ginny looked longingly at her lunch table but nodded in spite of her grumbling stomach. The girls turned around and left the Great Hall, standing in the hallway.

"Where were you last night?"

Maggie looked repentant. "That's what I wanted to explain. I felt really bad for ditching you, but I got preoccupied."

Ginny raised her eyebrow and waited for the girl to explain.

"I was on my way out and Miles Bletchley held me up. Started talking to me, and we started arguing and when I finally got away I went outside and didn't see you so I came back in," she said quickly, waiting to see if Ginny believed her.

"Hermione said she saw you in the dungeons," Ginny blurted out before she could catch herself.

Maggie looked shocked but regained check and nodded. "Oh yeah, that was her wasn't it? Bletchley dragged me down there and I was trying to get back before I got caught. I knew she is Head Girl and didn't want detention or something."

"Well, okay then. We can just do it another time," Ginny said, anxious to get into the Great Hall before lunch was over.

Maggie giggled. "Go on and eat, I'll talk to you about it later on."

Ginny silently thanked her. "Okay, see you."

"See you," Maggie echoed as Ginny darted into the Great Hall, stuffing her face with anything in arms reach.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Sooo. What did you think? Please review if you feel so inclined. I'd love it if I had at least 25 before I post again (hem. Hehe.)**

**And I would like to thank you all for reviewing last time. I got more than I asked for! Yay! **

**Amanda –**_Thanks for reviewing and beta-ing, dear! You're fabulous._

sweetvanillalover – _Aww, your reviews are always so sweet! And I think if I got 12 reviews from just you I would have to write a whole extra chapter just for you. But thankfully that wasn't needed. Thanks! _

nun outfits are cool - _Why thank you! I'm kind of waiting to see how this unravels too. I mean, I have a basic plot but all the details are foggy._

devilzgrlxox –_ Aww! You read my other ones? That's so cool. Thanks for following me over to this account. You rock!_

demon-QUICKSILVER-wolf –_Oh my. I didn't think I put HGxDM in the summary but I fixed it. Yes, this is Ginny and Draco. Sorry for the confusion and thanks for the review!_

**harrypotterchick4ever –**_ Do you now? That's an interesting theory. We'll see if it checks out in the end._

earthtomars7 –_Why thank you._

**Raleigh –**_I will just have to work extra hard to get it up to adorable standards then, huh? Lol, thanks for reviewing! _

sofia666 – _Hermione and Blaise you say? Have you any particular ideas for either of them? I haven't thought much about their roles. I'm open to suggestion. Thanks for the review._

**Kat – **_You're so weird._

x-thekookie – _Oooh, thank you! And I do plan to keep writing. Although, I'm rather slow as you may have noticed._

louey31 – _I can't either, as of now I haven't much of a clue. Thanks for reviewing._

**Ti-Ti –**_Eehh. I hope it doesn't turn out badly either. I rather enjoy happy endings._

**Thanks again, everyone!**

**Lady Cardea**


	5. Missing You

**A/N – Holy wow! I asked for 25 reveiws on the last chapter, and after the first night you wonderful people gave me 27! Amazing! I'm having nice bit of inspiration so I thought I'd treat you to an early chapter. Please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer – I am not, unfortunately, JK Rowling. If I was, I would not be posting on this site. **

**Thanks again Amanda for beta-ing. Every one check out her stories. Her penname is dracoginnyshipper and she has wonderful fics. Yay!**

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

_Ginny leaned back into Harry's chest from where she was sitting between his knees. Closing her eyes she felt his arms come around her, clasping together below her chest, holding her protectively. This was when she felt safe, as if nothing could harm her. _

_As she began to drift off she felt a sudden jerk where Harry was moving behind her. She moaned softly, cracking her eyes open. "Don't leave," she whispered._

"_I'll never leave you," Harry whispered into her ear, his breath trickling over her neck._

_Ginny smiled and turned around, her face only inches from his. They exchanged smiles as he leaned down and covered her mouth gently with his. When he leaned back, he was still smiling. Ginny lifted a hand to his, intertwining her fingers with his. _

"_I don't deserve you," Ginny whispered softly, looking into Harry's vibrant green eyes._

"_Never say that, Gin," he said. "You're perfect."_

"_I'm not perfect," she told him. "Not even close."_

_Harry shrugged and pulled her tighter, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Yes you are. You're absolutely perfect."_

_-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-_

By October 12th, the whole Qudditch team had given Ginny their free periods and she had bi-weekly practices planned. The days she had chosen were Tuesdays at six-thirty and Saturdays at noon. She was thankful that only one was during the week, so she wouldn't be as distracted as she had anticipated. She had also learned that the first match was to be against Hufflepuff, on November 3rd.

On October 13th, Saturday, Ginny was out of the Quidditch Pitch at 11:30, waiting for the rest of her team. She had already retrieved the chest of balls and two bats from the broom shed, so she sat patiently on a bench beside the Gryffindor stands.

The first to arrive were Natalie McDonald, a short quiet girl with dirty blond hair and stormy teal eyes, and Victoria Frobisher, who was taller than Ginny with long black hair and sparkling blue eyes. Ginny assumed the two had come together, as they were the only girls occupying the sixth year girl dormitories in Gryffindor house. She flashed them both a grin.

"Colin said he's on his way," Victoria chirped happily. She was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, obviously disregarding the Quidditch robes she had already been given. Natalie was dressed much of the same, though she had her robes loosely hanging over her curvy figure.

"Great," Ginny said. "Did you see any of the others coming?"

Victoria shrugged. "Kenneth and Coote are still at lunch," she said. "But I haven't seen Dean. Have you, Natalie?"

Natalie looked up and shook her head, a soft 'no' escaping her lips, though barely being heard.

Ten minutes until eleven brought Kenneth Towler and Ritchie Coote barreling onto the field, Colin following in a state of calm. Dean was the only missing player.

"Well, everyone is here except for Dean," Ginny observed to the team. "Ritchie, Colin, grab your bats, okay? Victoria, head up to the goal and start warming up. Natalie, you can wait down here with me until Dean gets here so we can start, okay?"

"Sure," Natalie replied softly and as if on cue, Dean sauntered onto the field and slinked an arm around Ginny's shoulder.

"Hello there," he said with a charming grin. Ginny rolled her eyes and shrugged out of his grasp.

"This isn't the time or place," she told him in a very business like manner. And then to everyone, she said loudly, "Okay, everyone is here! I'm going to release the Snitch and Bludgers, and I want Kenneth to obviously try and catch it, and Colin and Ritchie, try and hit him."

Kenneth looked up. "Thanks Ginny. Trying to get me killed on day one?"

Ginny shrugged and shot him a grin. "You just need to practice dodging it," she said, and then to Ritchie and Colin, "Don't hold back!"

Kenneth shot her a playful glare as he and the two beaters zoomed into the air. She released the Snitch along with the Bludgers and the three were off.

"All right, Victoria go on up. Dean, Natalie and I are going to practice passing around and scoring, so be on your guard," Ginny told her. "And you two, let's go, okay?" All three heads bobbed up and down as the four of them remaining shot into the air.

Practice went on for nearly three hours before the team collectively decided that they were tired and ready to quit for the day. Everyone hit the showers, but Ginny lingered after the other girls had already left the changing room, thoughts of Harry flooding her head.

"_So you're going to be replacing me, huh Gin?" Harry asked playfully tapping the partially crumpled parchment which lay on the table, face-up. _

_Ginny shrugged, trying to mask her grin. "I suppose I am," she replied. "Why did you turn it down for this year anyway?"_

_Harry shrugged, keeping check over his facial emotions. "I just think with N.E.W.T.S. and everything going on I won't have much time for controlling the Quidditch team." _

"_Oh well, I guess if you're nice to me I might let you keep your spot as Seeker," Ginny teased._

_Harry said nothing, just smiled._

Now Ginny understood why he hadn't responded. Even at the end of July he had already known he wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts for his last year. Of course Ginny hadn't know, but she should have seen through all of his vague attempts to assure her being there always. Even if he decided to go away.

Shrugging the thoughts away, Ginny stepped out of the shower and into her dry robes, letting her hair hang over her shoulders where they formed wet ringlets to the middle of her back.

As she left the girl's restroom Ginny collided with another person, and looked up to a strong jaw and shaggy black hair. Her heart skipped before she realized who it was.

"Kenneth," Ginny said in surprise. "I thought you had left already."

He grinned at her, holding up his cloak. "I left this in the loo down here. Are you just now getting out of the shower?"

Ginny nodded sheepishly as they began to walk toward the building. "Guilty," she said. He smiled.

"Nothing wrong with long showers," he said. "I enjoy them when the rest of the boys aren't trying to bust their way in. Better to take short ones as early in the morning as possible," he reasoned.

"I guess that is understandable. I've gotten spoiled on the Head Girl bathroom though, since Hermione let's me in there whenever I need it," Ginny said.

Kenneth grinned, "So that's why you're hanging around there so much. There are rumors that you were involved with Malfoy or something."

Ginny gaped. "I would never be involved with Malfoy," she assured him as they both entered the castle.

"I figured as much," Kenneth said. "I mean, everyone knows you and Hermione are best friends. It was just Lavender and Parvati gossiping because they have nothing better to do, you know?"

Ginny nodded and chuckled. Of course she knew.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sunday afternoon directly after lunch, Ginny made her way to the library with three books in her arms and a bag full of parchment. She had a load of homework to finish and she was determined to at least make a dent in it today, when the vast majority of the school's population was busy enjoying themselves. Unfortunate for Ginny, she could not join them. She had homework to do, which included a 10 inch essay on the qualities and effects bubotuber, a report on a the Witch burnings from some year in the past, and a 12 inch detailed essay on a vampire of her choice for Professor Duff. The latter assignment excited Ginny, so she decided to save it for last as a sort of reward for her efforts.

She started in on her Witch burning report for Professor Binns with an anxious vigor, ready to be finished before she had even begun. As she was jotting down complete nonsense about the burnings, Ginny wondered how anyone could possibly find such rubbish interesting. She completed within an hour and sighed with relief as she did, only to be disappointed when she realized next she has to complete an essay about bubotuber.

Standing with a sigh, Ginny moved through the shelves of books to find the correct information on the sticky yellow plant used in potions for acne medicine. When she found her book she returned to her table, only to realize there was another person sitting in the seat across from hers.

As she sat down, Ginny rolled her eyes. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"So hostile, Weasley," Draco said coolly with an amused smirk settling on his pallid face. He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner. Ginny sighed and opened her book. "Bubotuber? I never liked that much," he remarked. "It's the devil to get off if you spill it on your skin. The pus, I mean."

"But you'll be blemish free," Ginny offered up dryly, never taking her eyes off the page.

Draco held back a smile and watched as the redhead turned a page fiercely.

"Ease up, Red. What has that poor page ever done to you?" a third voice drawled smartly from behind her. Draco cursed to himself for Miles Bletchley ruining one of the rare moments when his project redhead did not want to rip his head off.

He was impressed however, when she never looked up, but replied boredly, "Buzz off, Bletchley. Haven't you got better things to do than hang around in the library? I didn't even know you could read." Another page turned and her eyes never lifted. Miles shot Draco a smirk over her head to which the blond returned with a raised eyebrow and bored expression.

"Ouch," Miles said. "Love hurts."

Ginny snorted and muttered something under her breath that neither of the boys could understand. Louder, however, she asked, aggravated, what color bubotuber pus was.

"Yellow," Draco replied quickly before Miles could open his mouth. This caused the girl to raise her eyes to meet his.

"How do you come up with these answer so fast? Got some acne problems, hmm?" Ginny asked, returning his smirk.

"Do I look like I have acne problems?" Draco asked rhetorically, motioning to his flawless face.

Miles took this moment to join in. "Maybe not where we can see it, huh?"

"Can it, Bletchley," Draco shot coolly, stretching out his arms. "I think I'll take my leave of you now. The two of you are boring me."

"So sorry to disappoint," Ginny said unenthusiastically, returning to her books. "Bletchley, you can follow him out, please."

Miles grinned and replaced Draco in the chair across from Ginny. "Nah, I think I'll stay and talk to my favorite Gryffindor." Draco's eyes were rolling as he passed out of earshot, his mind wheeling.

"Well then," Ginny said, closing her book and gathering her materials as she stood. "I think I will continue this in a quieter area, since you seem to have corrupted mine. Good-bye, Bletchley. Never nice to see you," she said with a falsely sweet smile, turning to go.

Miles chortled. "Following after Malfoy are you?" he asked daringly. Ginny stopped and looked at him.

"What _can_ he mean?" she asked herself aloud, turning to go once more.

"Only that you'll want to watch yourself around that one," Miles said. "He doesn't like to play nice." Ginny made no reply, but continued walking. _Honestly, _she thought,_ the nerve of some people._

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I wonder where they are right now," Hermione wondered aloud from the foot of her bed, where she was curled up eating Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, reading a book about werewolves. "Harry and Ron, I mean."

Ginny shrugged, looked at the wooden board above Hermiones bed. She stretched her legs and let her eyes wander down to the older girl. "I'm not sure. Maybe they're in another country, or continent," she suggested.

Hermione delayed, pushing a few beans around the edge of her book. "What if something happens to him-them?" she asked, quickly correcting herself.

"I'm sure Harry and _Ron_ will both be fine," Ginny answered. She was still waiting for the day Hermione would confess her hidden feelings for Ginny's brother.

"Ginny," Hermione said, making eye contact with the girl. "Are you and Harry seeing each other?"

"Hermione, if you haven't noticed, Harry is off saving the world. Plus, we broke up last year," Ginny said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't be stupid. I know you were sneaking out last summer," she said, tossing her bushy head. "With Harry."

Ginny shrugged uncomfortably.

"It must be nice to have someone to wait for," she said.

Ginny crumpled her eyebrows. "What? What about you and Ron?"

"Oh honestly, Ginny. Ronald and I are just friends," Hermione said indignantly, though she sounded unsure of herself.

"Sure, 'Mione," Ginny said. "Sure you are."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Tuesday night after practice Ginny was walking inside alone, her thoughts straying. She was brought to reality though when a rough hand bopped the back of her head. "Hello, love. How was practice?" the voice purred into her ear.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Bletchley, what will it take to make you leave me alone?"

"Hmm," he said, contemplating for a few moments. He grinned in her direction and said, "A kiss."

"Euch," Ginny spat, making a face at the boy. He looked angry.

"You'll want to remember who you are talking to, Red," Miles said, advancing on her. Ginny stepped back, bumping into the railing of the stairs leading to Hogwarts front doors.

Ginny raised her eyebrow. "Yeah? And who am I talking to? Miles Bletchley, future death eater?"

Miles' hands were on her arms and Ginny's heart stopped. She was frightened, as it was after dark and she was alone. "If that is true, you'll want to watch what you say," he hissed, his face becoming closer.

"Get off me, Bletchley," Ginny growled.

His grip did not falter. Ginny squirmed beneath him.

"Bletchley," she said, louder this time. "Get. Off."

Still he did not move. "Scared, Red?" he asked in a low whisper.

"I believe the lady asked you to get off of her," a voice drawled from behind. Miles let go and stepped back, smirking back at Draco Malfoy.

"It's all in good fun, Malfoy," Miles said lightly.

Draco stared. "She doesn't look like she's having too much fun," he replied flatly.

Miles looked between the quiet redhead and the authoritive blond and gave a snarling grin. "So that's what this is about. You're protecting the Weasley because you've got feelings for her, huh?"

"That's ridiculous," Ginny scoffed, regaining her voice. She pushed off the wall and advanced up the steps.

"Is it?" Miles asked, brushing past both of them. "Just remember what I said." He was gone.

Ginny looked up at Draco who was watching the spot Miles had recently been occupying. He turned his gaze to her, icy eyes connecting with her chocolate brown ones.

"Thanks, Malfoy," she said softly. "He's been a right prat lately."

Draco nodded and turned toward the door. "I'll walk you in," he said. When Ginny gave him a questioning glance, he amended, "Don't want Bletchley getting any more ideas."

"Right," she said, turning in and walking a few paces behind Draco. Oddly, she did not hate him at that moment.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"I still can't believe you _know_ Harry Potter," Maggie said incredulously as the two girls walked inside after practicing Wednesday night. "That's amazing."

Ginny shrugged. "I guess so. We've just always grown up together."

"Would you ever, you know, date him?" The dark headed girl asked mischievously, grinning.

Ginny laughed softly. "I did, last year, actually."

Maggie looked surprised. "Really? How'd that go?"

"Fine, I suppose. We decided to split up though," Ginny responded.

"Do you miss him?" Maggie asked.

Ginny nodded. "Yeah. I miss him a lot."

Maggie shot Ginny a sympathetic smile as they reached their parting corridor. "Well, this is me," she said. "See you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Ginny replied as Maggie turned to the Ravenclaw Common Room, and she walking herself to Gryffindor's. Tonight she wanted to be alone.

-.-.-.-.-.-

_Dear Harry,_

_I was excited when I received your letters, though I must admit the vagueness and unsatisfying bits of information were a bit upsetting. I am glad, however to know that you are safe and keeping my brother the same. Hermione is missing him immensely. You too of course, but you and I both know she has a certain favor for him, the oaf that he is. She is well, driving herself to do well in school as she always has._

_I've made a new friend. Her name is Maggie, and she is in Ravenclaw. I know you would like her, even though she has some quirky behavior. We actually met on the Quidditch field, though it was her ramming into me. She's not a very good flyer, but I've agreed to give her lessons. I'm finding that loading myself up with duties and commitments is helping me keep my mind from you. Still, however, I sit back and wish you were here with me. I'm hoping to see you at Christmas, but I won't hold my breath._

_You will never guess who returned to Hogwarts this year. Draco Malfoy. And he's Head Boy, sharing a common room and private living quarters with Hermione, who you already know is Head Girl. I've been spending most of my time in her common room, and often I will stay the night on her couch, studying, or at the edge of her bed. It's nice to be away from all the bustle of the Gryffindor tower, but the drawback is Malfoy. You'd be surprised, though. He seems somewhat subdued this year. He is still awful to be around most of the time, but he isn't as rude to everything that breathes. _

_There is also a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, as you may have guessed. I don't think you have ever heard of her before, though. Her name is Anessa Duff, and she's around Tonks' age. I like her very much, though I've already had detention with her once. You would like her too, I'm sure._

_Where are you these days, anyway, Harry? I know you're searching for the last Horcruxes, but where? China? America? Right here in Britain? I wish you well and hope that you discover what you need to soon, so you can come home. I miss you terribly._

_I know that you will not receive this letter, as I have no where to send it and no reason to believe you would receive it even if I tried. So I write this for myself, and I will tuck it away until we meet again. This news will be useless to you at that point, but I will deliver it to you should you return to me. I like to think that you will._

_I'm still waiting for you._

_Missing you,_

_Ginny_

Ginny folded the letter delicately and tucked it in an empty box, sliding it carefully under her bed. With a sigh she blew out the candle beside her bed and dropped to her pillow, a restless sleep claiming her.

-.-.-.-.-.-

**Well I must say I'm feeling absolutely horrible about this chapter. Maybe I shouldn't have written it so quickly.**

**Give me your honest opinions? Reveiws would be absolutely loved. Especially if I got 40 (le gaspe). Thanks so much everyone who reviewed the last chapter!:**

**Edsvava (and other mashed keys) – **_Is this soon enough?_

sweetvanillalover – _Hehe, you're so sweet, always giving me nice reviews xD. I don't know about Harry and Ginny. I don't really like Harry that much but I'm trying to be a little more realistic. But anyway, thank you! I tried to post quickly._

x-thekookie –_ Well I guess I wasn't that slow this time. But you should really try and get out of your slump, I'd love to read more of your stuff. And Maggie… All will reveal itself in due course. And I'm weirding myself out. Thanks for reviewing!_

dracoginnyshipper- _Teehee, you aren't a horrible friend. I'm not so sure about this chapter because you weren't here to beta the second half (frown) but we'll see, yeah?_

louey31-_Yay! I'm glad to have you thinking. And I'm rather proud of myself for the quick update._

nun outfits are cool –_ I guess I got a little more DG interaction in this chapter but I'm trying to keep it going slow. And Maggie will unravel soon enough. Or not. (giggle) Thanks!_

Secret world- _Hehe, there is definitely something funny about that girl. Thanks for reviewing._

MeggyandHaku- _Teehee, thanks for all your cute reviews. They made me giggle._

**Sorry if I forgot anyone e.e I'd also like to thank each and every one of you who added me to your favorite author or story lists, as well as author and story alerts. You all rock!**

**Hopefully posting soon,**

**Lady Cardea**


	6. Falling in the Rain

**A/N – So the new Harry Potter book has been out about two weeks. I read it all the first day it came out o.O I loved it.**

**But I assure you; I will not spoil or ruin any bit or piece of the Deathly Hallows for any of you. My story will continue to be pre-DH. Mkay?**

**Let's get crackin'!**

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

"_Harry?" Ginny asked one night, pulling away from his gentle kiss. "Can I ask you a question?"_

_Harry pushed a few stray hairs behind her ear and nodded. "Sure, anything," he said._

"_Well," she hesitated, trying to decide whether she should ask. "Never mind," she said nervously. _

"_Aw, come on Gin. What is it?" Harry asked in his irresistible puppy voice._

_Ginny smiled softly. "Well. Have you ever, ya know, been in love before?" she asked meekly. _

_Harry shook his head. "Nope. I haven't been in love _before._"_

"_Oh," Ginny said softly, a bit crestfallen. "I was just wondering." She leaned in to kiss him again be he stopped her, pressing two fingers against her lips._

"_I said I've never been in love _before_. But right now," he said, looking in her eyes with a smile to melt her soul, "Right now I'm in love."_

_-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-_

After the disturbing confrontation with Miles Bletchley in mid-October, Ginny no longer felt his looming presence wherever she went. In fact, she hardly ever saw him at all, and when she did, they did not speak.

Ginny felt doubly blessed when she was not running into Malfoy as much either. After that night, every time Ginny was in the Head Boy/Girl quarters, Draco was locked in his room or out patrolling.

However, when the beginning of November came around, so did a load of Potions homework which left Ginny struggling alone on a Friday night, in Hermione's Head Girl common room.

Draco Malfoy walked in with his chin in the air as usual, but tonight there was a more relaxed off-guard presence about him. He hadn't noticed Ginny as he walked to his door, until she let out a growl at her Potions homework.

"Oh, it's just you," he remarked. "Growling like a rabid dog again."

Ginny looked up. She hadn't realized he had come in. "Can it, Malfoy," she said tiredly. "I'm not in the mood."

Draco peeked over the table at her work. "Add a touch of extra wolfs bane," he said. "That'll fix your problem."

"Really?" Ginny asked incredulously. "I've been looking for an hour… How did you know that?"

He tapped his head with an arrogant smirk. "Malfoy's know everything," he said.

"You really are a prat, you know that?" Ginny asked with a roll of her cinnamon eyes. Draco smirked in return and offered a shrug. "All right, well thanks anyway," she said with a sigh, leaning back on the couch.

"You look beat, Weasley," Draco commented.

Ginny cracked her eyes and looked at him. "Thanks Malfoy," she said dryly. When he said nothing, she sat up and looked at him. "Hey, Malfoy. I actually wanted to thank you for you know, intervening the other day."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you on about, Weaslette?" he drawled coolly.

"When you got Bletchley to leave me alone," she said. "Thanks."

Draco shrugged. "I was on patrol. I would've done it for anyone else," he said in a collected tone. "Night Weasley."

Ginny nodded and continued with her work, thinking incredulously that Draco Malfoy had been almost tolerable. Almost.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Practice Saturday morning went smoothly for the most part. Kenneth was becoming quicker and quicker catching the Snitch, despite Ritchie and Colin becoming rougher with the bludgers. Natalie, Ginny, and Dean were quickening their passing abilities, working to dodge the stray bludgers. Dean was knocked off his broom twice, and Natalie nearly fell straight through the Keeper's middle ring, but managed to keep hold on her broom handle. Victoria was the only one not doing as well as Ginny had hoped. She was only able to block about half of the quaffle's sent soaring at her, which was good news for the Chasers but not so much for keeping. Ginny silently prayed things would look up for her so, not wanting to replace her with Cormac McLaggen.

Practice ended around three in the afternoon. Ginny tried to break from talking to Dean and Kenneth quickly, but when she was through, Victoria had scurried away from the locker room, being replaced by a familiar face. Ginny grinned and trotted over.

"Hey Maggie," Ginny greeted, leaning against the building.

Maggie returned the grin and looked around. "Quidditch practice, eh? How'd it go?"

Ginny shrugged. "Could've been worse," she said. "What're you doing out here?" Maggie was dressed in shorts and a tank top, holding her broom.

"I saw you from the Ravenclaw Tower. Thought maybe you'd be up for a little practice before you shower?"

Ginny grimaced. She was ready to head inside, shower, and curl up by Hermione's fire to finish her Charms and Herbology homework. Reluctantly, however, she nodded. Maggie beamed and saddled her broom, kicking off with what little skill she had aquired in the previous month and a half.

As Ginny soared across the field, she felt a few drops of rain on the back of her neck and silently smiled. Perfect.

However, Ginny's excitement faded when she lost sight of Maggie and the sky clouded up. The rain poured heavier than she had ever known it to, and she could not see more than five feet in front of her.

Unaware of where she was going, Ginny did not see the goal post on the far side of the field until right before she smacked into out. She felt an immense smack on her head, and everything went black.

-.-.-.-.-

Draco was bored. Saturday morning and he had nothing to do, so he was presently sitting at a quiet table in his private Common Room, with Blaise and Miles. The two were playing Wizard's chess, and Draco was watching idly out the window. The Gryffindor's were holding Quidditch practice.

He caught sight of a flash of fiery red atop one of the figures. Ginny Weasley. He shuddered, thinking of his current mission and how far he still had to go.

"I'm out," Draco heard Blaise say, scooting his chair back and standing. "I've got to go meet someone."

"Who?" Miles asked.

Blaise shrugged, slipping into his jacket and heading for the door. "Just some girl," he said coolly. Draco detected falsity in his voice, but said nothing.

Miles shot Draco a shameless grin and nodded in approval. Disgusting.

As Blaise left, Miles turned back to Draco. "Want to ?" he asked, magically repairing the pieces with his wand.

"No," Draco said shortly, glancing out the window once more. Ginny was hovering above a goal post.

"What're you looking at?" Miles asked, following Draco's gaze out to the redhead on a broom. He grinned. "Weasley, huh?"

Draco looked at Miles. "What about her?" he drawled calmly.

"She's quite a totty," he said.

With a raised eyebrow, Draco asked, "Are you interested in her?"

Miles scoffed. "Are you kidding, mate?" he asked incredulously and shook his head. "No, I'm not. But I'm willing to pretend to be. She'd make for a good shag. Think she's still a virgin?"

Draco's jaw tightened. "Stay away from her," he said, still calm, but more seriously.

"Why?" Miles asked. "Have you got a thing for her?"

"Don't be stupid," Draco said quickly. "Just stay away from her. I've got special… orders to do with her. I won't have you ruining them."

"What orders?" Miles asked, puffing out his chest.

"That's none of your business," Draco snapped. "Just keep away from her."

Miles' face screwed up and his voice raised a notch. "How do I know you're not making that up to keep me away from her?" he asked. "You can't just stake a claim on every girl in the school, Malfoy. I'll go after her if I please."

Draco snorted. "And you think she'll shag you?" he asked with a roll of his eyes. "She hates you. Let it go and leave her alone."

"We'll see who she hates when I've got her screaming my name," Miles remarked cockily, leaving the room and abruptly slamming the door. When Draco looked back out the window, there was no longer a team in the sky. He saw Ginny and a dark-headed girl flying around when it started to rain.

Before too long, the rain became heavier and Draco had to squint to make out Ginny's figure as it fell through the sky. On instinct he grabbed his broom and opened the window, jumping out. As he fell, he pushed his broom through the heavy window and forced it between his legs, hitting himself with an uncomfortable impact.

Zooming through the air, he quickly found the bed of the Quidditch pitch, where Ginny lay. Touching down, he picked up her unconscious body and dropped his broom, running toward the front door. He almost could have sworn he saw a dark figure running around to the locker rooms, but when he blinked there was nothing.

Once inside the building, Draco quickened his pace. It was a considerable bit easier to move now that wind and rain were not holding him back. He passed Hermione Granger on his way up a set of stairs, and she nearly screamed when she saw Ginny's limp body.

"Malfoy, what've you done to her?" the girl screeched. Draco pushed past her without a word and finally found the Hospital Wing.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Draco bellowed through the room. "Come here!" He dropped Ginny on an empty bed as the older woman came rushing toward him.

"What's happened, Mister Malfoy?" she demanded, scurrying to remove the dampened clothing that clung to Ginny's form. Draco had never noticed how nice her body actually was, despite the lack of overly rounded curves.

Draco shrugged. "I saw her out on the Quidditch field. She fell off her broom," he said, looking at the girl again. Finally Hermione caught up, bustling into the room.

"Malfoy!" she yelled. "Malfoy, what did you do?"

"I haven't done anything," Draco drawled, turning on the bushy-haired girl who was sporting an angry look, drowned in worry. "Except for save your dear little Weasley."

Hermione still looked angry. "Where was she?"

"Quidditch field," Draco mumbled, shaking off the rain on his clothes. He was still soaked.

Hermione crossed her arm and made to argue with him some more, but Draco held up a hand to silence her. "I'm going," he said and left abruptly.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Ginny woke up to complete darkness and for a few moments she wondered where she was. Every muscle in her body ached and her head was pounding. She sat up momentarily and groaned in pain, dropping back on her pillows, she looked around. She was in the Hospital Wing.

For a few moments, she was confused. Why was she there? After a few moments, however, her memory came back to her and she remembered flying with Maggie and hitting the Keeper's goal post when it had started to rain.

She looked around the room and found no one else, save for Madam Pomfrey who was asleep in her chair placed in the corner of the large room. Where was Maggie? Was she okay?

Ginny jumped when she heard footsteps approaching her bed. She was frightened when she recognized Miles Bletchley's eyes bobbing up and down as he walked toward her. He pointed his wand at the window and the blinds shot up, exposing a bit of sunlight which was coming as the sun rose.

"Well, well, if it isn't Miss Ginny Weasley," Miles drawled. "What's happened to you? You look awful."

"Thanks, Bletchley," Ginny spat disgustedly. "What do you want?"

Miles shrugged. "Malfoy told me you were in the Hospital Wing so I decided to drop in before classes and make sure you aren't dead or anything."

Ginny opened her mouth to say something sarcastic back at him but promptly clamped it shut. What had he said? _Draco_ Malfoy? How did Malfoy know that she was in the Hospital Wing? Ginny quickly voiced her question.

"He's the one who brought you here," Miles said with a raised eyebrow. "You fell off your broom and he found you or some rot."

"Why would he do that?" Ginny asked, off her guard and clearly confused.

"Don't know, really," Miles said with a shrug. "I wouldn't have, had it been me who saw you fall."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yes well, lucky for me some people have a conscious."

Miles, in turn, rolled his own eyes. "Please Weasley," he scoffed. "Don't you go putting him on a pedestal and pretending he actually cares about you." He was now standing.

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't be stupid," Miles said. "Just remember, love, you're doing a dangerous thing. You're playing with fire and sooner or later, you are going to get burned." And with that and a parting smirk, Miles left the Hospital Wing, leaving Ginny disgusted and confused.

-.-.-.-

Later in that day, a worried and apologetic looking Maggie rushed into the Hospital Wing, about the time when classes would be letting out for lunch. "

"Ginny!" she said quickly. "How are you feeling? I'm so sorry."

"I'm fine," Ginny replied. "Where'd you go yesterday? Were you hurt?" 

Maggie shook her head. "I looked for you when I was up there, but I didn't see you and seeing as I am not exactly skilled with a broom, I flew to the ground. I didn't see you there either so I went to the locker rooms until the rain stopped. All I found was a broom on the ground so I came up here to see if you'd made it somehow but you were unconscious so I came back, well, now."

"Oh," Ginny said. "That's okay. I'm okay too. Madam Pomfrey said I can leave around supper time, when the potion she gave me is finished working."

"That's good," Maggie said with a smile. "Oh, your bushy haired friend, Hermione, is it? She came up here last night too. I expect she'll be coming when she gets out of class here in a few minutes too."

And sure enough, as Maggie was leaving the Hospital Wing, bushy haired Hermione was rushing toward Ginny, flooding her with questions.

-.-.-.-.-.-

**Once again, so sorry it took so long!**

**So, what do you think of this installment? Good? Bad? Mediocre? Please leave me some feedback in the form of reviews! Thanks, dolls!**

**And thank you to the following for reviewing my last chapter:**

MeggyandHaku – _(Le Gaspe!) I do too!_

Jessica Lyn – _Yes, yes. One of those wait and see things. xD Thanks for reviewing!_

x-thekookie – _Teehee, yes Miles is creepy but oh Lordy is he good looking! In my mind, anyhow. xD Here's some more Miles/Ginny action for yoou._

Dhavhdakvc – _Perhaps. Thanks for the review. X)_

- _ What an interesting name._

Babiiee-Z – _Aww thanks! That's really sweet. I'm trying to keep the relationship at a realistic pace._

sweetvanillalover – _Aah! I always look forward to your reviews when I post and this time I got TWO! Whoo! I really hope you like this chapter, but don't be scared to tell me if you don't. Thanks so much for reviewing!_

dracoginnyshipper – _Of course I need you! Thanks for reviewing, dear! _

TheOnlyHarryPotterQueen – _AW thanks! I always love to hear that even if I don't really think it's true. Thanks so much!_

harrypotterchick4ever – _Very suspicious indeed. Thanks for reviewing!_

**All right guys, hopefully my next chapter won't take as long. But I start school on the thirteenth so we'll see, yeah?**

**Thanks!**

**Love, **

**Lady Cardea**


	7. Secrets and Lies

**A/N – So sorry it took so long to post. I started school and it's been hectic. Newspaper takes lots of time and I'm in four honors classes and a film class. And drama is already starting.**

**Oh, the wonders of High school.**

**Anyway, here is chapter seven.**

**Disclaimer- Not mine unless it's mine.**

**Enjoy!**

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

"_Say it," Ginny demanded with a giggle, holding Harry away from herself with a firm hand flat on his collar bone._

_Harry whined. "Ginny, I just want to kiss you," he said with a pleading tone. _

_Ginny grinned at him. "Then say it," she said. "Say that you love me."_

"_You already know that," Harry said. "Why do I have to say it again?"_

_Ginny sighed. "Do you want to kiss me or not, Mr. Potter?" she asked, giving him a pointed look. Harry watched her with a smile. "Then say it," she said._

"_Fine," Harry replied, finally giving in. "I love you, Ginevra Molly Weasley, until the day that I die."_

_With a smile, Ginny leaned in and kissed Harry softly. "That's what I wanted to hear," she whispered, and he claimed her lips again._

_-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-_

Ginny stood impatiently by the Quidditch field, tapping her foot as she waited for Maggie to show up. It had been exactly one week since she fell off her broom and every part of her body was completely back to normal. Save for her mind, that is.

After Miles had informed her that Draco Malfoy had seen her fall and brought her to the Hospital Wing, Ginny was confused. And to further worsen the matter, said Malfoy was nowhere to be found, even when Ginny visited Hermione's private quarters. Lucky for her, Professor Slughorn had not handed out any extremely tedious assignments.

Ginny's head snapped up as Maggie barreled onto the field, stopping only a few feet short of her. She bent over, placing her hands on her knees and heaved for breath. "Sorry," she breathed. "I'm late."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at Maggie's disheveled appearance and swollen lips. "Maggie?" she asked, a smug grin crossing her lips. "What have you been doing?"

"What do you mean?" Maggie asked, still breathing heavily.

"I mean you look like you've just been thoroughly snogged," Ginny replied as the other girl stood at meet her at eye level.

"Do I?" Maggie asked innocently. "That's interesting. Ready to practice?"

"Oh no you don't," Ginny said. "You're going to tell me why you look like you've been felt up six different ways and snogged for an hour."

Maggie gave an impish grin. "Well, you see, there is this guy…" she said, trailing off.

"Who is he?" Ginny asked excitedly. "Would I know him?"

Maggie shrugged. "It's just some guy. I don't think you know him. Hufflepuff, or something," she said quickly and held up her broom. "But really, can we practice? I want to be done by supper time."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. We can practice now but don't think this is the last I'm going to ask about it," she said, receiving another grin from Maggie. Ginny sighed and mounted her broom, lifting herself into the air for another bit of flying.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hey Gin, are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" Hermione asked later that Saturday night while she finished her Arithmacy homework.

Ginny looked up from her Potions essay and shrugged. "I forgot we had a trip scheduled, to be honest," she responded. "Are you going?"

Hermione shrugged. "I'm not sure. That's why I was asking you," she said.

"We could go together, for a while," Ginny replied. "We don't have to stay all day if you don't want."

"That sounds good," Hermione agreed. "I need to start shopping for Christmas presents. I don't think we have another Hogsmeade trip until after holiday break."

Ginny nodded. She had saved a bit of money given to her by the twins as a back to school gift, since their shop was flourishing. "I need to do a bit of shopping too," she said. "So I guess we can just get up and go after breakfast?"

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, sure," she said as the door to the private common room opened, revealing Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini.

Blaise cracked a grin as soon as he spotted the two girls sitting on the couch. "Hello ladies," he said with a charming smile. Draco closed the door behind the two of them and walked toward his dorm door, waiting for Blaise to follow, however, he did not.

"Hello, Zabini," Hermione sighed.

"Why does no one ever sound happy to see me?" Blaise asked in a whiny voice. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Maybe because no one _is_ happy to see you?" she suggested innocently, shrugging her shoulders.

Blaise shook his head. "Oh Weasley," he said dramatically. "You never cease to wound me with that sharp tongue of yours."

Ginny shrugged and shot him an innocent grin. "What can I say?" she replied. "It's a gift."

"One mans trash is another man's treasure, I suppose," Draco drawled from where he stood, forgotten, in the corner of the room. He had a tired grin on his face, not as biting as usual.

"Well Malfoy, that's a surprise," Ginny commented without skipping a beat. "I never thought you to be the philosopher type."

He shrugged in response. "You learn something new everyday, huh?" he replied. They watched each other for a few moments and then Ginny broke into a grin.

"Yeah," she said. "I guess you do."

"Um," Hermione said awkwardly. "I should probably get going. I have rounds to do, and all that."

Blaise nodded at her. "I have to split also. People to see and all that," he said, flashing a grin. He left before Hermione.

"When are you going to be through?" Ginny asked the older girl, disregarding Draco as he disappeared into his bedroom.

Hermione shrugged, pulling on her robes. "Not too long. I just have to circle floors six and seven once or twice."

Ginny nodded. "I'll try and stay up," she said. Hermione smiled and they exchanged good-byes. When Ginny was sure her friend was gone, she stood and straightened her pajamas, running her fingers through her hair. With a bit of hesitancy, she knocked on Draco's door.

After a few moments she heard his husky voice through the door. "Yeah?"

"Malfoy?" Ginny called softly. "Can I come in for a minute?"

"It's open," he said back. She twisted the knob slowly and walked in, not bothering to close the door after her. "Yeah?" he asked, watching her from where he had been putting away the robe he had recently taken off. Ginny couldn't help but notice how good he looked when he wasn't sneering. His face was tired and peaceful at the moment, not presently tainted with hate.

"I just wanted to, you know, thank you," she said, unsure of why she was becoming nervous with him.

Draco raised his eyebrow at her. "Thank me for…" he trailed off, question in his voice.

"For saving me. Again. You seem to be doing that a lot lately," she said with a soft laugh.

Draco's lip corner quirked to one side. "And you seem to be thanking me a lot lately," he commented. "Don't worry about it. I was already outside." The lie came easily and he watched as her delicate mouth formed an 'O'. She blinked several times and Draco noticed the color of her eyes: a dark cinnamon brown, with honey flecks glistening when the light hit them.

"Well, um. Okay," she said, for loss of something better to say. "What are you doing in here?" she asked, looking around his room. The walls were painted ash grey. There was a large black framed bed against the wall to her left, with draping curtains over a black bedspread with forest green sheets and pillows. Clothes were hanging neatly in a dark wood cabinet with matching drawers beneath. To the right was a table, sitting on off-white shag carpet, beside a large dark brick fireplace, which was currently burning.

"Just putting some things away before I go to sleep," he lied. In reality he had been about to floo his father concerning his progress with the youngest Weasley. But of course, that was not something he could share with her.

Ginny nodded. "Long day?" she asked, not exactly sure why she was continuing to make conversation with him.

He nodded in return. "Homework and Quidditch will wear you out," he commented.

"Tell me about it," she said. "I practice every Saturday morning with my team and then teach my friend Maggie how to fly without falling right afterward. And then I have homework to worry about."

Draco smirked. "Sounds like a right pain in the arse," he said.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yes, it is," she said. "Well, I'll leave you alone. I just wanted to thank you."

Draco nodded, watching as she opened his door. "'Night Weasley," he said. She nodded back and muttered a ''Night Malfoy' before she left. This time he silenced his room and walked to the fire place, dropping to his knees.

Gathering a handful of floo powder Draco tossed it into the fire and firmly said 'Malfoy Manor', sticking his head into the fire place. "Father?" he called into the study. His father's head popped up from the desk where he had fallen asleep.

"Draco?" he said curtly. "What do you want?"

"You asked for information concerning Weasley," he said boredly. "I've come to deliver it."

Lucius nodded. "Well, go on," he said in a snappy tone. 

Draco sighed. "She's beginning to trust me. I've had to rescue her twice now, and I must say Bletchley is playing into my plan quite nicely. He keeps putting her into compromising situations where she has to be defended or some rot," he said. "So she's been seeking me out to thank me quite a bit. I'm making progress."

"That's good to hear," his father replied. "Just be sure you don't let emotions get into this. You won't have another chance after this one."

"I know, Father," Draco replied stonily, his jaw tense. "I've no emotion for the girl anyway. She's Potter's whore and I'm not interested."

"Well perhaps you can at least get a nice shag out of it," Lucius drawled lazily. "Why not mix duty with pleasure when you get the chance, yeah?"

"Sure," Draco said, no longer interested in the conversation at hand. "I have work to do though. I'll report back with you later."

Lucius nodded. "Don't disappoint me, Draco," he said, just as Draco was pulling his head from the fire.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Wow, so this was really short. The sad part? I've had it typed for like a month or two and just haven't posted BECAUSE it's too short. **

**And I was grounded for three weeks. **

**But anyway, I'm so so so sorry that it took me so long. I will try to post two or three times before Christmas break and over Christmas break at least twice.**

**School is taking everything out of me because of Newspaper, which is like hours a day of work, four honors classes, they speak for themselves, and a film class which is easy.**

**Anyway, hope you liked this.**

**Leave me some comments? I know I don't deserve them but I miss them and would love some feedback.**

**Thanks Everyone!**


	8. Let the Flames Begin

**Well all of my lovely readers, it is Thanksgiving break! And that means a chapter added to this story for you! I can't promise at the quality but I certainly do hope that you will enjoy it. **

**Disclaimer – You know the drill. It's not mine, though I sorely wish Draco were (drool). **

**Anyway. Have fun, kiddos!**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_Ginny let out a moan as she was pushed backwards against the wall, those soft lips against her neck. He was driving her wild. _

"_He doesn't make you feel this way, does he?" hot breath whispered into her ear. Her heart beat quickened._

"_No," she breathed quickly, pleadingly. "Never."_

_His lips curled up and his body pressed closer to hers, hands touching whatever was closest to his finger tips. "Do you want me to stop?" he asked in a temptingly sweet voice._

_Her lip trembled and her head shook. "No," she breathed again. "Don't stop, Draco."_

_Draco obliged, his fingers holding her wrist as he backed her deeper into the wall, his lips trailing down her neck._

_Their hips ground together and Ginny let out a whimper. "Draco," she said breathlessly. "I want you."_

"_Finally," he said, letting out a guttural growl as his fingers found their way through the barrier of her pants._

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ginny woke up, her body shaking, sweat beading down her hairline. Her breath was heavy, her body hot. What had the dream meant?

Nothing, of course. It couldn't have meant a thing. Ginevra Molly Weasley was in love with Harry Potter and absolutely nothing would change that. It wasn't up for debate in her mind, but her sanity was being threatened by her subconscious attraction for her worst enemy.

She sighed and looked around at the dark room. Hermione was still sleeping soundly beside her, where they had fallen asleep talking the night before.

Ginny stood and slipped a jacket on over her plaid pajama pants and t-shirt and walked out of the bedroom. She looked at the clock hanging above the fireplace. Six twenty-three. No wonder she was so tired. She'd had only four hours of sleep.

Not sure what else she could do after such a disturbing dream, Ginny plopped down on the large couch in the little common room and watched the flames. Her eyes grew heavier and her sight grew blurry.

"Ginny? What are you doing out here?"

Ginny's eyes fluttered open again and the room was suddenly lighter. There was a pair of big brown eyes in her face, a quizzical expression resting in them. Ginny sat up, confused herself. "I woke up early and didn't want to wake you," she said. "So I came out here and fell asleep anyway."

"When did you come out here?" Hermione asked, tipping her head to the side. Her mass of frizzy hair flitted the same way. "It's nine right now."

"Six-ish," Ginny mumbled and stood up. "Should we get ready to go?"

For a moment Hermione looked as if she had no idea what Ginny was talking about. A look of realization spread across her face and she nodded. "I need to take a shower, so let's meet at the carriages at nine fifty so we can get one before Filch leaves without us."

Ginny laughed and nodded in agreement. She bid the older girl goodbye and walked toward the Gryffindor Tower.

After she'd showered, Ginny dried her hair and dressed in khaki pants, a blue shirt and her Gryffindor robes. As she walked down the hallway, checking the clocks at random intervals, she bumped into the wall and looked up abruptly.

To her surprise, the wall had suddenly developed icy blue eyes with long eyelashes. Everything from the dream she'd had the night before slammed back into her mind.

She was speechless.

"Are you going to move or just stand there all day?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at her shock stricken face.

"Malfoy," she spat out, as it was the only thing that was coming to mind.

His brow creased. "Yes Weasley, I'm aware of who I am," he said. "What I don't know is why you are still in my way."

"Potions," Ginny replied quickly. Why couldn't she crank out more than one word sentences that made absolutely no sense?

"_He doesn't make you feel this way, does he?" _

"All right, that's it. You officially need to be admitted to the loony bin," Draco said, taking a step back.

Ginny shook her head quickly. "No, sorry," she said, her voice returning. "I need help. With potions. Are you busy tonight?"

"I suppose I could spare a few minutes if you promise to stop looking at me like that," he replied in a drawling tone. "You are starting to scare me more than your face usually does."

She rolled her eyes. "Lovely talking to you too, Malfoy," she replied in her usual witty voice as she began to walk away. "See you tonight."

Draco smirked at her back and nodded. "Yeah, see you," he replied, continuing on his way.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"So you've got rounds tonight, right?" Ginny asked Hermione a little later in the day, while they were shopping. "I think I remember you saying you'd be out."

Hermione shook her head. "No, I don't have rounds. I'm tutoring a first year."

Ginny laughed. "Hermione Granger to the rescue, patrolling the halls and making little wizards and witches just like her," she said in a broadcaster voice.

A blush came across Hermione's face. "Oh stop it, Ginny. Honestly. He's a muggle-born Ravenclaw who is somehow failing First year Muggle Studies."

"Wow. That is bad," Ginny said, her eyes widening. "That's worse than Ron. And well… that says a lot."

Both girls giggled and rounded the corner into Honeydukes. "Oh no, Gin. Bring me in here and I'll come out weighing more than Millicent Bullstrode," Hermione said, adding a joking groan for effect.

Ginny laughed. "Well, at least you can pull off the obese look a little better than her," she said. She picked up a few sugar quills for herself and then found individual chocolate brooms with crème filling. She picked up six for her team mates.

"Do you think we should get the boys Christmas gifts, you know, in case they come back?" Hermione asked, coming up behind Ginny. Ginny looked back at the older girl sadly.

"Hermione, I don't think they're coming back," she replied as gently as she could. Hermione nodded.

"I know, but I still feel like we should get them something. Just in case. For when they do get back, you know?"

Ginny nodded, leading Hermione to the fire whiskey filled chocolate cauldrons. "Ron loves those," she said, offering a comforting smile. "It'd be a good choice."

Hermione nodded, smiling back at Ginny. "Thanks," she said, picking up a package of them. "I'll get them something else at the Quidditch store."

"Yeah, let's head on over there," Ginny replied. The two paid for their sweets and exited the store to continue their Christmas shopping.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"So let me get this straight," Ginny mused aloud. "You, Draco Malfoy, the all-knowing Slytherin prince, doesn't know how to fix my mess of a potion?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "If you don't stop provoking me I won't help you, Weasley," he said in a tired voice, but she knew he was just kidding.

Ginny laughed. "Well not to be rude or anything, but you're not doing me much good right now."

"All right that's it," Draco said, standing up and walking toward the door.

"Hey! Wait!" Ginny called after him, hopping up. "Where are you going? I was just joking. Malfoy!"

A sigh fell from his lips and he grabbed her wrist. "_We_ are going to the library Weasley, so we can finish your sodding potion," he said while pulling her out of the private common room and into the hallway.

"Oh," Ginny said, feeling a bit stupid.

They walked toward the library and Ginny noticed as they approached that her wrist was still gently held between his fingers. Images from her dream flashed back in her head, his fingers holding her against the wall, and violating her soon after. She hadn't realized she was staring at him.

"Weasley?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow. "What are you looking at me like that for?"

Ginny shook her head and looked away. "Nothing. I was just thinking about something," she said quickly and walked into the library. His fingers dropped from her wrist and they both approached the first bookshelf.

For a few moments they were silent, walking up and down aisles of books. But something was distracting Ginny. There was a sound coming from the farthest corner of the library, sounding like the mew of a cat.

"What's that?" Ginny asked softly, listening closer. Draco looked up.

"I don't know," he said with a shrug and walked toward it. Ginny trailed after. "Let's go see."

They both kept quiet as they walked along the row of books, carefully sliding along in the shadows. They rounded the corner and four pairs of eyes snapped open.

"Maggie?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"Ginny!" Maggie shrieked.

"Blaise," Draco said with a curt nod.

"Draco," Blaise returned, nodding back. "Weasley." 

Draco rolled his eyes. "Well now that everyone has been properly introduced, can we move on?" he asked boredly. Typical Malfoy.

"What are you two doing here?" Maggie asked, trying to subtly untangle herself from Blaise.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "This is a library. We're here for a book," she said. "What are you two doing here, hmm? Studying?"

Maggie blushed. "Erm.. Not exactly," she said quietly and Blaise burst into laughter.

"Yes, I think we can see that," Draco added, his smirk replaced on his mouth.

Blaise sighed and stood up, pulling Maggie up along with him. "Well I think we're going to go ahead and leave now. It's getting late and all that studying has worn me out," he said. "Bye Malfoy, Weasley."

Both nodded at the leaving couple, Ginny's eyes following Maggie out as she grinned back at her. Inside she laughed. So there she had an explanation for all Maggie's weird behavior. She now understood why she had seen her darting toward the dungeons on a few occasions. With a laugh she turned back to Draco.

"All right Malfoy, I don't think this night can get any weirder, so let's find that book and go," Ginny said, looking at him in the eye.

For nearly a minute they stared each other in the eye and said nothing. He nodded but kept his eyes on her. "Yeah, that book."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Ay yi yi! Another chapter come and gone! You know what the upside of this is? I accidentally started the ninth chapter before I started this one, so my next post should come quicker since I've written a page of it already.**

**What do you think about this chapter? In the next one I am expecting a bit more Draco/ Ginny action. I don't want to make it go too fast, but for my plot it needs to get a move on.**

**Anyway. I don't think I liked this much, but I was distracted when I wrote it.**

**Why, you ask? Well because I started a new DMxGW fic of course! I won't start posting it until Playing With Fire is either completed or mostly posted. But you can surely look for more from me after it's over (which won't be for a while unfortunately). **

**Anyway, I hope you had a good time and here's thanks to everyone for the last two chapters, because I didn't do it last time!**

Countess Calliope – _Teehee. I know you don't like Maggie because of her behavior but I think this chapter serves as sufficient hinting. Don't you think?_

Nyah1 – _Yes, I'm quite curious about them also. No Miles in this chapter. Lol. Thanks for reviewing!_

Babiiee-Z – _Yay! I'm glad it's worth waiting for, and I hope this one doesn't disappoint. Thanks!_

Jessica Lyn – _Yeah Miles creeps me out but he is so hot. So it's okay. And I like evil characters. They make me smile. Thanks for reviewing!_

MeggyandHaku – _I'm trying! The next one should come soon!_

PsYcHiC SeLiNa – _Finally someone who sees it the way I do! I love Miles because he is such a dirty little man. I would date him, pshh. Lol. Thanks for reviewing!_

The Kookie – _Hehehe Draco have a crush? Never! Strictly business, mhmm mhmm.Hehe. And yes, poor Blaise. I actually really like him lol. He's not as much of an ass as Draco. Thanks for the review.  
_

Courtney – _Yeah I goofed with Natalie, but I fixed it. So hurray!_

gineveramalfoy1894 –_ Yes, that's what I've been hearing around about her. Thanks for reviewing!_

sweetvanillalover – _Love, love, love! You make me feel loved. Lol I always look forward to your reviews. Thanks for being a faithful reader!_

Samurai-Kagome – _Haha I love that I am making you laugh with all of this. And I agree with you. Three hot Slytherin boys in a room with me? Pshh. I'd be all over that. Thanks for reviewing!_

nun outfits are cool – _Oh, the Harry bits are flashbacks of the summer before this school year. Sorry for the confusion._

polite-punk-rocker831 – _Lol fortunately you don't look like a complete idiot after this chapter. Yes, Maggie and Blaise! It is a little weird, though, isn't it?_

Alexandria J. Malfoy – _Yes she is a bit odd isn't she. (strokes chin). Perhaps this answers a question or two about Miss Maggie._

**Thanks yall! Hope you enjoyed and reviews are much appreciated!**

**Lady Cardea**


	9. Out of the Blue

**Disclaimer – **_Harry Potter does not in any way belong to me, and everything save for the plot and Maggie belong to J.K. Rowling._

**And here we are at the start of December, with chapter nine of Playing With Fire! It's winter time at Hogwarts and things are beginning to heat up. Oo la la!**

**I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is starting to bring out the Christmas decorations, movies, and fuzzy socks. So here we go, get some hot chocolate and enjoy this chapter. **

**Reviews are welcome and anyone who feels nice enough to leave one can have a cookie in your choice of flavor.**

**Enjoy!**

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

_**Chapter Nine: **_

_**Out of the Blue**_

Ginny sighed loudly and fell back, draping herself across the cushioned couch. Her eyes drifted to the ceiling, which she had never noticed were on off-white cream color. A laugh from a few feet away made her cinnamon brown eyes roll.

"You're never going to get anything accomplished if you act this way, Ginny," Hermione chided in an amused voice.

"Yeah well, maybe I don't want to accomplish anything," Ginny retorted, crossing her arms. "Maybe I just want to sit around and be non-productive all day."

Hermione shrugged. "Go right ahead, love," she said. "But it is only Tuesday so you might want to get whatever homework that's due tomorrow done."

Ginny sighed once more and twisted her body so she was sitting upright. "Why must you always be the bearer of such wonderful news?" she asked sarcastically.

"Someone's got to have the privilege," Hermione replied, still smiling. "But it shouldn't be too hard. You only have three classes tomorrow and I'm sure only one has something due."

"That's true actually. And I'm about through with it," Ginny said, closing her Defense Against the Dark Arts book and pulling out her Charms. "And it's really simple anyhow."

"Well that's good. After you've finished, want to go out for a walk before supper?"

Ginny nodded and went about finishing her homework. When she was through, she gathered all her books and dropped them into her bag before the two girls stood and walked out to the front of the school, where the sun was already setting.

"It's really beautiful isn't it?" Hermione observed aloud, taking a deep breath of the air.

Ginny grinned. "I smell snow," she said, looking up at the sky.

Hermione laughed at the redhead. "You smell snow? How is that possible? There's no snow yet."

"But I can smell the coming of the snow in the air," Ginny said in a matter-of-fact voice. "I'm very good at this, you know. Every year I can tell when the first snow will be. And it's going to be tonight."

With a roll of her eyes and a soft chuckle, Hermione nodded. "If you say so, Madam Trelawney," she replied.

"Hey! Don't call me that," Ginny said, protesting the bushy-haired girl. "I am not like Madam Trelawney. My predictions actually come true."

Both girls laughed and continued their walk across the grounds.

When dinner time came around, Ginny and Hermione made their way inside and sat down at the joint table of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. They sat near the middle, across from each other. Ginny was between Luna Lovegood and Kenneth Towler, across from Hermione, who was between Neville and an empty seat.

They were greeted with smiles and scattered 'hellos'.

"How are you, Ginny, Hermione?" Neville asked politely as they sat down.

Ginny smiled at him. "I'm doing just fine, Neville, thanks for asking," she replied. "How are you?"

Neville nodded in response. "Fine," he answered.

"Ginny's gone crazy," Hermione announced as she piled food on her plate and poured herself and Ginny a glass of pumpkin juice each.

"I have not gone crazy!" Ginny protested. "My prediction was perfectly plausible and it is going to come true."

Kenneth grinned between the two girls. "Has she really? That's no good," he said amusedly. "What makes you say that, Hermione?"

"Ginny here thinks that she can smell the first snow before it comes," Hermione explained. "And she's convinced that it's going to be tonight."

Luna looked up, her eyes glancing between the four others dazedly. "Actually, Hermione. Ginny is probably right," she said in her usual dreamy voice. "The Horklumps have been particularly active recently, and everyone knows that that means cold weather."

For a few moments everyone was quiet, not knowing what to say as they looked between each other. And then as if on cue, Ginny, Hermione, Neville and Kenneth all burst into laughter at their oblivious blond friend.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Later that night, Ginny returned to her dormitory in the Gryffindor tower. The girls in the room were sleeping so she pulled the curtains closed around her bed and lit her wand.

_Harry, _

_Where are you? It's been so long since I've seen your face, heard your voice, or received any news from you. I'm worried and I miss you. Sometimes when I'm thinking of you, your face becomes a blur in my mind and all I can see is your eyes, so clearly. But I guess that's enough. For right now, it has to be._

_Life at school is the same as always, but at the same time it could never be more different. I still go to classes everyday, practice Quidditch on Saturdays, eat meals three times a day and cram my homework in after I've forgotten to do it. But a lot of things have changed._

_I've gotten closer to Hermione than I ever thought I would. We spend all our time together. I can tell she misses you a lot, but she misses Ron even more. I feel for her because they haven't admitted their feelings for one another yet. _

_Another thing I can't figure out is Malfoy. He's been such a jerk ever since I met him before I came to Hogwarts, but it's different this year. We tolerate each other. He's not so bad anymore. I know you'd hate to hear that I'm friends with him, if you could even call us that._

_Once again, I know there is no where for me to send this letter to you. So I will add it to the others I have written and hope that I will have the chance to give them to you soon._

_All my love,_

_Ginny_

Ginny sighed and looked over her delicate script before folding the letter into three equal rectangles. She leaned over and opened the drawer beside her bed, slipping the letter inside. There were six already, that she had written in the past few months.

Harry had written her twice.

Ginny turned over on her back and muttered the counter charm to Lumos. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she looked straight up at the top of her bed, her thoughts drifting back to the summer before.

"_I think I love you too, Harry," Ginny said softly, hesitating to look up at him. _

_Harry's hand gracefully fell beneath her chin and he used two fingers to lift her face so she was looking into his eyes. "I think I've never been happier to hear something in my life," he said softly._

_She smiled. "I'm surprised you haven't found someone better," she said, their fingers intertwining. "There are so many girls out there who would kill to be where I am right now. But instead you choose to be with me. Why?"_

"_Because I love you," Harry replied as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "None of those girls even begin to compare to you."_

_Ginny smiled, her insides churning. She brought her knees up as Harry wrapped his arms around her and for hours she just lay there, in his arms._

With a sigh, Ginny pulled her knees into her stomach as she had before and wrapped her arms around them, wishing Harry was there tonight.

-.-.-.-.-

The next morning Ginny stood in front of the school, dressed in her uniform and robes. She wore a black scarf and carried a hat in her bag, in case it got too cold. But while she stood during her free block in the morning, she frowned with disappointed.

"Why the long face?"

"It didn't snow," Ginny replied, her frown deepening as she answered, though she did not turn to face the person she was talking to. Instead she continued to look over the grounds expectantly.

Draco stepped forward, following her gaze over the browned grass. "It doesn't snow a lot of days out of the year," he said. "Why are you upset that it didn't snow on this particular one?"

"Because I could smell it," Ginny replied. "It was supposed to snow last night. But it didn't."

"Maybe it just isn't cold enough for it to snow yet," Draco suggested.

Ginny looked at him with her mouth agape. "Are you serious?" she asked him incredulously. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "It's got to be less than twelve degrees out here. It's definitely cold enough."

"Well then it's just not time for it to snow," Draco replied with a shrug. "And I'm glad. Snow is cold, wet and a bloody menace when you have a class outside the building."

"All right, Johnny Rain Cloud, you're cheerfully attitude is just too much," Ginny said sarcastically, shaking her head at him.

He turned to face her. "Yeah?" he asked amusedly, smirking down at her. "I know my presence puts you in a good mood. You don't have to tell me that."

Ginny rolled her eyes and leaned back against the railings lining the steps. "So why aren't you in class, sunshine?" she asked, tipping her head to the right to look at him better.

Draco shrugged. "I got called out of Potions and didn't feel like going back, so I didn't.," he said. "What about you? I know a Weasley wouldn't be skipping class unless it was to save the world or something like that."

"Obviously you've never met Fred and George," she replied amusedly. "But no, I'm not skipping. I have a free period this morning. My first class is Defense Against the Dark arts at nine thirty."

"So instead of staying inside to sleep where it's warm, you are outside staring into space, because it hasn't snowed?" Draco asked

Ginny shot him a look. "I enjoy being outside. I was already awake so why should I stay holed up in the castle when I could be outside enjoying nature?" she asked.

As he opened his mouth to respond, something cold landed on his cheek. His hand reached up and touched something wet. "What was that?" Draco asked and looked up.

A grin was now firmly in place on Ginny's mouth. "It's snowing," she said with a glowing smile. "I knew it. I told Hermione I could smell it coming and she didn't believe me. But I was right."

The flakes came down in soft waves, landing gracefully in her hair and over her clothes. Draco looked at her as if she were crazy for getting so excited, but he noticed how beautiful she looked. Her cheeks and nose were tinted pink from the cold, her hair was loose around her shoulders and her eyes were glowing.

"So you were, Weasley," he replied. A few tiny white flakes landed on her dark eyelashes, twitching only slightly when she blinked. Her cinnamon eyes were radiating warmth.

As he watched, Draco reminded himself of why he had approached her. Things were going well and he thought perhaps it was time to move in.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she asked softly, not noticing that he had taken a step towards her. "After a while it will stick to the ground and everything will be white. I can't wait."

Draco nodded. "It'll be a menace," he said. "Obnoxiously cold and hard to walk in."

Ginny sighed and looked up at him, realizing that he was inches away from her face. "It makes things a little more difficult, but I think the good outweighs the bad by a long shot. Snow is great. I used to play in it when I was a kid all the time."

"That doesn't surprise me," Draco responded, leaning an arm on one side of the railing she was leaned against.

Ginny's breathed hitched as he moved closer, not sure what to do. "Well, you know. We didn't have a whole lot of choices, so we went outside a lot," she said. "The house gets cramped with so many people."

Draco nodded but didn't say anything. His conversations concerning Ginny were playing over in his head.

"_...Make her trust you and then bring her to us. Potter will come straight to her, and we'll be ready. Do you understand?..."_

"…_All I have to do is make her trust me so you can kidnap her?"_

"_That's all," Lucius said, easing his grip on the table. "A small price to pay for eternal glory and unlimited power…"_

"…_She's been seeking me out to thank me quite a bit. I'm making progress…"_

"…_Just be sure you don't let emotions get into this. You won't have another chance after this one…"_

"…_I've no emotion for the girl anyway. She's Potter's whore and I'm not interested…"_

He leaned in swiftly, his eyes still on hers as he softly planted his lips over hers. Ginny froze, every thought in her mind trailing out with her sanity.

Moments later, the kiss became mutual and her hand was on the back of her head, his on her waist. The heat now radiating from the pair was causing every snowflake on her face to melt.

-.-.-.-.-

When nine thirty came around, Ginny was seated in the back of the Defense Against the Dark Arts room, a dazed look on her face. She'd been inside for nearly twenty minutes and her cheeks were still flushed.

"Miss Weasley, what have you been doing?" Professor Duff questioned as she walked around the room before everyone had filtered in. "Your face is red."

Ginny's head popped up. "I was outside, Professor," she said. "It's just started snowing. I'm just happy is all."

Professor Duff nodded disbelievingly. Ginny Weasley did not look happy. She looked confused. But without another word she continued around the room, greeting her students.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**So here was the long awaited kiss scene. Does it seem like it came a little too fast for the story? Just remember Mr. Malfoy's alternate motives. And Ginny's vulnerability. What did you think?**

**Please let me know in a review! I would love to get to 95 before I post again (gigglesnort). Please? Do it for the cookies!**

**I'd like to give a thanks to the seven who reviewed chapter 8.**

Babiiee-Z – _Yeah I'm hoping Draco doesn't turn out bad, myself. But I really am not sure how this is ultimately going to end, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see! Thanks for reviewing._

Countess Calliope – _Hehe… Yes I'm liking the little Draco dream too. See, that is why Draco is so much better than Harry. Harry's too uptight and innocent. Bo-ring. But anyway, this chapter was for you because you kept bugging me to write the DracoxGinny scene. So there you are m'dear._

Alexandria J. Malfoy – _A twist? Would I throw a twist at you? (bats eyelashes) Isn't Draco adorable?_

polite-punk-rocker831 – _Lol yeah I guess she does need a bit of help coping with her feelings, but ya know, who doesn't? I hope you like this installment!_

The Kookie – _Yay! My biggest fan. (warm and tingly) I actually really like Blaise too. He's so cute and lovable. But Draco is my favorite even if he is a pain in the arse. That's what makes him wonderful, I suppose. Thanks for reviewing faithfully and I really hope you like this chapter! (hands you a cookie)_

Elanor Ainu ­– _Prove her wrong, I will! How is this for getting a little weirder? (wink) Thanks for the reviews!_

MeggyandHaku – _Wow. Thank you. Here is your update!_

**Also I'd like to thank everyone who has added me to your Favorite Authors, Favorite Stories, and Author/Story Alert. You guys are fabulous!**

**Until next time,**

_**Lady Cardea**_


	10. He Said, She Said

**At long last, here is the follow up chapter to the Draco/Ginny kiss scene! I'm not even sure as I write this what it will be like, but I suppose we shall see when it is written, hmm?**

**Thanks for every one waiting patiently for me to update and for reviewing Ladybug! I rather enjoyed posting that one. I now however, have got the urge to write a Tom Riddle story. I have TWO new stories posted on my info page for COMING SOON. I have started them both. I will not however, post either one until I am through with Playing With Fire. The probability of me writing both in the end is slim, so I want to choose one. Might each of you wanting more go to my page and tell me which you would be more interested in? THEY WILL BOTH BE SAD! But I want feedback. **

**Anyway, here is your chapter.**

**Enjoy and please review! **

**-.-.-.-.-**

**Chapter 10:**

**He Said, She Said**

"_Isn't it beautiful?" she asked softly, not noticing that he had taken a step towards her. "After a while it will stick to the ground and everything will be white. I can't wait."_

_Draco nodded. "It'll be a menace," he said. "Obnoxiously cold and hard to walk in."_

_Ginny sighed and looked up at him, realizing that he was inches away from her face. "It makes things a little more difficult, but I think the good outweighs the bad by a long shot. Snow is great. I used to play in it when I was a kid all the time."_

"_That doesn't surprise me," Draco responded, leaning an arm on one side of the railing she was leaned against._

_Ginny's breathed hitched as he moved closer, not sure what to do. "Well, you know. We didn't have a whole lot of choices, so we went outside a lot," she said. "The house gets cramped with so many people."_

_Draco nodded but didn't say anything.__ He leaned in swiftly, his eyes still on hers as he softly planted his lips over hers. Ginny froze, every thought in her mind trailing out with her sanity._

_Moments later, the kiss became mutual and her hand was on the back of her head, his on her waist. The heat now radiating from the pair was causing every snowflake on her face to melt._

_-.-.-_

It had been nearly a week since Ginny's strange encounter with Draco, and she had been avoiding him at all costs the whole time. There was something extremely twisted about the situation she was in.

On Friday, she decided to brave entering the private quarters of the Head Boy and Girl, to study with Hermione, who had remained blissfully unaware of Ginny and Draco's situation.

Draco was not present, and Ginny was becoming restless. Somehow Potions just wasn't the same without him.

"So you see, knotgrass can only be found in the Indies because of the particular climate it needs to grow in," Hermione explained and then look up at Ginny and let out an aggravated sigh. "Are you even listening to me?"

Ginny looked up. "What did you say?" she asked shortly, distracted by the bushiness of her friend's hair. Why was it particularly prominent today?

Hermione groaned. "Oh forget it," she said. "We've been at this for an hour and you're still not listening to me."

"I'm sorry," Ginny mumbled. "I'm just distracted is all. Maybe if we tried later, I would be more into it."

"Is something bothering you, Gin?" Hermione asked worriedly. "You have been a little off all week."

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "Just thinking a lot I guess."

With another sigh, though this one a bit more docile, Hermione nodded. She stood up and shrugged into her cloak. "Well I've got to do rounds tonight, so I should be back in a couple of hours," she said and looked at Ginny. "We'll talk about this when I get back, okay?"

"Yeah, sure 'Mione," Ginny replied, offering a smile. Moments later the door was closing and she was alone.

As she sat, Ginny's eyes wandered to the window, looking at the bright moon reflecting on the lake. She turned her eyes back inside, listening to the sounds of silence penetrating her ears. Never had she noticed how loud the crackle of a fireplace could be.

Outside there was a bullfrog croaking with the harmony of crickets around the lake. The wind was whistling, swirls of snowflakes twirling in the air. She wondered how the bullfrog and crickets were still alive in the snow.

In a tree nearby there was a flock of birds, nestling into the branches. They were getting ready to fly south, and their chirps resounded through the night, yet not so prominent as the owls in the owlery.

Just outside of the room, in the hallway, was the soft patter of students growing and fading as they walked past the room, as quiet as they could be to not get caught. Peeves could be heard cackling as he swept through, outing each of the students out past curfew.

And then there was the ticking. The grandfather clock perched in the corner of the small common room was ticking. Why had Ginny never noticed the noise of it before? She felt as if she were going mad. When the bells chimed ten o'clock, she jumped in surprise and then sighed and fell backwards once more.

Her thoughts drifted to Harry and she wondered where he was, if he was okay. A letter had arrived the day before, though brief, it was a comfort, yet a nuisance at the same time.

_Ginny,_ it had read

_Just dropping you a letter to tell you everything is fine. We hope you both are doing well. _

_Both of us send you our love._

He hadn't signed it, but Ginny knew who it was from. At that moment she found herself missing him sorely, and that night she dreamt of green eyes his beneath a head of platinum hair. Something was not right.

As the moments passed, Ginny became lost in her thoughts, only for them to be broken by the opening and closing of the door. She looked up and found two familiar heads of dark hair, lead by one of platinum blond. Bloody hell.

"Weasley," Blaise said in a buoyant voice, opening his arms, grinning at her. "So nice to see you. Tell me, how are the children?"

Ginny looked up, sighing that they had spotted her so quickly. Of course they would though; it was not as if the room was exceptionally large.

"Hello Zabini," Ginny replied in a tired voice, not feel the need or want to try and interpret his inquiry.

She looked around the room and nodded at Draco and Miles. "Malfoy," she said politely and the slightly pursed her lips. "Bletchley."

Miles acted as though he had not forced himself over her a few weeks before and grinned broadly. "Red, love, so nice to see you," he said in a booming voice. Ginny suppressed the shiver running up her spine.

"Well I wish I could say the same for you," Ginny retorted and turned a page in her book, pretending to read it. Truthfully however, she did not take in one word. She was still painfully aware that Draco was standing in the room, staring straight at her.

"Always so hostile around me," Miles said, shaking his head and clicking his tongue.

"Perhaps because you nearly mauled her in front of the school a few weeks ago?" Draco drawled, looking still at Ginny.

There was a soft chuckle, Miles, and Ginny looked up to see him shaking his head. "I told you it was only a bit of fun. I didn't hurt her," he replied lightly.

Ginny sighed, realizing that she would never get anything accomplished in the presence of three Slytherin boys. She began to gather her books and throw them into her bag without care of their order or neatness.

"Leaving us already, Red?" Miles asked with a leering smile. Ginny looked up at him disgustedly.

"So sorry to disappoint," she replied calmly. "But I have better things to do."

Miles smirked at her. "I can think of a few things you could be doing right now," he said suggestively.

Ginny nearly gagged. "And on that note, I'll take my leave of you," she replied with a revolted look on her face as she crossed over to Hermione's bedroom and promptly closed the door in their faces.

-.-

Nearly thirty minutes later Ginny grew tired of the small bedroom she was sitting in. The noise on the other side of the door had subsided, so she decided to brave going through the tiny room to get out and go back to her own dorm. When she opened the door, Draco was sitting alone on the couch. He looked up when she walked in, a smirk taking hold of his face.

Ginny took no notice and walked toward the door anyway. However, just as she was reaching for the door handle, his voice stopped her.

"So you've been avoiding me, huh?" he asked amusedly. She turned to look at him, her hand still idle on the doorknob.

"I haven't been avoiding you, Malfoy," Ginny replied placidly. "Why on earth would I go through the trouble to avoid you? It's not as if we spend mass amounts of time together."

Draco looked amused. "You seem awfully defensive for someone who isn't avoiding me," he replied simply. Something in her arousal on the topic made him want to grin.

"Again I ask you, why would I possibly avoid you?" Ginny asked irritatedly. "I hate you, remember?"

"I don't think you hate me, Weasley," he replied, still calm, that obnoxious smirk taunting her.

She stayed quiet and gave him a challenging look. "And why would you think that, _Malfoy,_" she asked, cocking one eyebrow higher than the other.

"Well _Weasley,_ you are telling me that you hate me," Draco replied. "But I think the simple fact that you kissed me would prove otherwise."

Ginny's face heated and began to color red. "I did _not_ kiss you," she replied indignantly. She began to notice perspiration gathering on the doorknob, beneath her skin.

A look of surprise and mixed amusement crossed over Draco's face. He leaned backwards and crossed his arms over his chest arrogantly, much to Ginny's displeasure. "Didn't you?" he asked. "Then what, pray tell, do you propose happened earlier this week?"

"You kissed me," Ginny replied simply, removing her hand from the door and crossing her arms as well. Draco could not help but notice the way this action caused her breasts to push together, creating a pleasant curve just in view under her button up uniform shirt.

"Oh, did I?" he asked, not breaking the eye contact.

Ginny squirmed unnoticeably. "Yes," she replied decidedly. "Although why you did it I have absolutely no idea."

"Don't you?" Draco asked cryptically. Ginny growled back at him.

"Stop doing that!" she nearly shouted. His arrogant calmness was wearing on her nerves and it was quite – well, unnerving.

"Doing what?" he asked in a still calm, curious voice. His head tip slightly to the side and Ginny couldn't help but notice the graceful way his hair fair to the side, swooshing with each move he made.

"You keep asking me questions in response to whatever I say," she replied, frustrated. "It is quite annoying."

"Quite annoying," he said back at her in a flat voice. "Huh."

"Yes," Ginny replied, still staring straight at him. "Quite annoying."

"Huh," he replied again, sitting back as if he were contemplating something. He lifted a hand to stroke his chin, almost as if he were mocking her.

She groaned again. "Whatever Malfoy," she said tiredly. "I want to leave. So if you have anything else to say, dear Merlin say it now."

Draco smirked back at her, his cocky expression returning in full throttle. "Just admit that you kissed me," he said. "And that you enjoyed it."

"We went over this already. I did _not_ kiss you. And I did _not_ enjoy it when _you _kissed _me,_" she replied smartly. "I don't need you."

He shrugged, examining his fingernails as if he could care less about the situation. Inside he was becoming frustrated with himself and the conversation at hand. She had been so inviting earlier in the week, so what had gone wrong? Perhaps it was Potter, still standing in the way. But what could he do? Try. Yes, he would have to keep trying. And that's all he _could _do. For now at least.

"You may not _need_ me," Draco conceded and looked back up at her. "But you want me."

Ginny rolled her eyes and smacked her hand back on the doorknob, nearly slipping her grip with the thin coat of sweat still on her hands. And with unusual consistency and she opened the door, stepped out of the room and slammed it behind her, leaving Draco Malfoy behind.

-.-

"Kenneth! Move faster toward the Snitch! If we want to beat the Slytherins next week than you are going to have to work harder than that!" Ginny barked across the field as a dark blur slowed, revealing a person on a broom.

Kenneth groaned. "Ginny come on, we've been at this for hours. Can't we go inside yet?" he asked.

"No!" Ginny shouted back at him. "We have to get our plays down and you have to be able to catch the Snitch faster than Malfoy! If we want the cup this year, we have to win every game. And we are doing good so far, but Ravenclaw gave us a good run for our money. We can't take chances!"

With another grumble, Kenneth shot off in search of the Snitch and Ginny turned her attention toward the Chasers, who were hovering in a circle near the Keepers hoops, talking to Victoria.

"Dean! Natalie! Stop talking and start working on your passing!" she yelled at them, fully aware that her cheeks were beet red from the sun and screaming. "Victoria needs practice guarding her right goal!"

The three who were congregated rolled their eyes and mumbled under their breath, unsure why Ginny was so determined to make them miss every meal of the day and work their bums off like never before. Reluctantly however, they began to pass anyway.

When she looked around, Ginny was pleased to find that Colin and Ritchie were making a great game and smacking the Bludgers around to try and hit Kenneth, narrowly missing on many occasions.

Finally Victoria had had enough. She flew over with a miffed expression settled on her eyes and stopped right in front of Ginny.

"Gin, we've had enough," she started, sternly but kindly. "We are all tired and hungry and we're ready to stop for today."

"Victoria, we have to keep working," Ginny insisted. "There's no way we are going to be ready for the match against Slytherin. Not at this rate."

Victoria sighed. "We're as ready as we're going to be," she said. "Everyone is too tired and someone is going to get hurt the way Colin and Coote are slinging their bats around."

With one last look around, Ginny sighed in defeat. "All right," she said and then raised her voice to a shout. "Everyone get to the showers! You smell awful!"

"Thanks Ginny," Victoria replied with a smile and everyone swarmed to the ground, making a dash for the bathrooms. Ginny nodded at her retreating figure and began to descend herself, wondering how in the world they would match against Slytherin, when it was only one week away.

And then her thoughts narrowed to a specific Slytherin and she cursed herself inside. _Come on Ginny, _she scolded herself. _Get a grip. It's only Malfoy._

Yes, only Malfoy indeed.

-.-.-.-

**Ah! I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out! I was surprisingly busy over Christmas break and it was really hard to get this out.**

**What do you think of the Draco/Ginny interaction? Too much? Too fast? Tell me what you think! I plan to have more Blaise/Maggie in the next chapter. And maybe a nice chat with Lucius. **

**So next Tuesday is my birthday! I'll be sixteen. How fun, right? I haven't even gotten my drivers permit yet. Haha.**

**Anyway, thanks to everyone for being so patient. And to those who reviewed my last chapter:**

Countess Calliope –_Lol Harry is just a big fat pasty weirdo. You know it's true deep inside, and maybe one day you will admit it to yourself and turn your full attention toward the lovely Malfoy who deserves it. I'm not sure when Harry will be back, but I assume it will be interesting!_

QueenBee11 –_ Yes, yes I know it was a very brief kiss! But I meant for it to be that way. Believe me, when it comes again it will be more explanatory than this. I thought this might give a bit of mystery, hm?_

MeggyandHaku – _Ahh! This wasn't really fast but I hope you liked it._

The Kookie – _Let the romance begin, huh? Not quite! Lol yes I love Blaise. I wish I could write him better, but I'm going to do my best. I'm hoping to add more to him later. He'll be a bit bigger in the plot than he is now…_

Babiiee-Z – _Yeah I agree. Harry is a boring old fart and Draco is much more preferable and sexy. So this is kind of walking away, but not exactly the one you predicted. What do you think?_

missMANNEQUINx –_ Yeah now that I think about it, it is a bit Gilmorish._

polite-punk-rocker831 –_ You think he's lying do you? Well, we shall see!_

Elanor Ainu – _Mmm. Muffins and hot chocolate! I would prefer some coffee, but you know, to each his own. And I love fuzzy socks in the winter. Absolutely wonderful._

_As for Draco. It's going up for debate as to whether he HAS a heart. I hope so._

sweetvanillalover –_ Oh that's perfectly all right, though I did miss your review. I'm not sure what Draco is doing but he needs to get himself under control! Bad Draco._

WishfulWhispers – _Well I hope it isn't too cliché. I'm seriously debating just mass murdering everyone to make it a unique story. But where would the fun be in that?_

edwardluver925 – _Yay! Thanks!_

xxxfire-feariexxx –_ Heat up, cool down. Hopefully there will be another heat up soon!_

**Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, added me to their alert lists or added me to their favorite lists. I'm hoping to break 100 reviews with this chapter! Please let me know what you think.**

**Sincerely, **

**Your soon to be sixteen Lady Cardea**


	11. Calm Before the Storm

**So I was thinking about Voldemort. And I was wondering about his life before he was Lord Voldemort, back when he was just Tom Riddle. And I thought 'Hm, I wonder, is Voldemort a virgin?'. **

**I have no idea. Does anyone know?**

**Anyway, enjoy.**

**-.-.-.-.-**

**Chapter 11**

**Calm Before the Storm**

"So you're in Slytherin and all of that. Are you going to be a death eater?" Maggie asked interestedly, staring intensely at the boy before her.

Blaise chuckled. "Why are you always so interested in that sort of thing?" he asked, shaking his head amusedly. "I already told you I'm not involved with the Dark Lord."

Maggie shrugged and leaned back into his chest from where she sat between his legs. "I guess I just worry about you," she said. "That stuff is dangerous and you could get in trouble with it, you know, if you were involved or something."

"I would just prefer to stay out of the whole thing, you know?" he told her. "I want to get my loved ones to a safe medium and step away from the fighting."

Absentmindedly Blaise began to trace circles with his thumb on the base of her neck. Maggie leaned her head back and smiled up at him. "You surprise me sometimes with how gentle you are," she said. "How did you ever manage to make Slytherin?"

"Because I don't like muggles," Blaise replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "And I don't think they should be breeding with witches and wizards. I am a biased arse. That's how I got into Slytherin."

Maggie laughed. "Fair enough," she said. "I guess I'm just lucky that I don't have a drop of muggle blood in me then, hmm?"

"Well I guess you are," Blaise teased, pushing a few stray hairs from her face. "Because if you did, I might just have to do something drastic."

"Is that so?" Maggie asked. "And what kind of drastic thing would you do to me, Mr. Zabini?"

Blaise shrugged and shot her a playfully mischievous grin. "Well I might just have to lock you up somewhere and toss the key away," he said.

"But then you wouldn't be able to do all the amazing things that you do with me," Maggie said, looking up at him with big eyes. "And you would miss me."

The corners of the dark-haired boy's mouth turned upward, and it was obvious that he was suppressing a grin. "Oh you think I would miss you, do you?" he asked interestedly. "I wouldn't be so sure of that."

Maggie shrugged, kissing the edge of his lips, right where they curved together and creased. "You might not be sure, but I'm smarter than you so it's my knowledge against your assumptions," she said with a soft grin. "Besides, you wouldn't be able to lock away someone that you love."

"Oh, so now I love you, huh?" Blaise asked, his voice not as playful as before. As he really thought about it, he was not so sure. "Since when?"

Maggie frowned. "Well you do love me, don't you?" she asked pointedly. It had been months since they began to see each other. Had she really expected this?

He thought for about it and looked down at her, his eyebrows creased in confusion. After a few long moments his expression softened and he smiled gently. "Yeah, of course I love you," he said. And as he leaned down to kiss her, he meant it.

-.-.-

Draco sighed loudly, sitting back against the overstuffed black couch in the middle of the Head boy common room. The fire before him was blazing, the heat radiating throughout the room, hitting him in waves. Outside it was snowing again and suddenly his thoughts drifted to the red haired he had been so wrapped up in lately. Something about her kept him from being able to read his feelings toward her, which were still in his mind, nonexistent.

It was the middle of the week. Ever since Friday, Ginevra Weasley had not come around to see Granger. At least not when Draco was present. He could not understand why it was so difficult to get her off his mind. Or more specifically, why he could not get her kiss off his mind.

Again he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with two fingers and his thumb. _Get a hold of yourself,_ he was saying inside his head.

His thoughts were broken by a loud rapping at his door. For a few minutes he just stared, wondering who would knock to get into the small quarters. The only people who visited were Ginny, Miles and Blaise. All three were far past the stage of polite knocking.

So Draco ignored the noise and stared back at the fire. The knocking, however, only became louder and more persistent. He waited for it to stop, but it only grew worse.

"Bloody hell," Draco muttered under his breath. He stood and readjusted his clothing -which was his dirty quidditch uniform, still in place from practice an hour before- and walked to the door, flinging it open.

"Oh Draco, finally," was the rough voice shooting back at him. "Is it really so difficult to open the door the first time your visitor knocks?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Well, father, I wasn't exactly expecting visitors. I'm busy," he said icily, regaining his structure and putting on his rough façade.

Lucius' Malfoy growled in irritation, his sharp jaw set tensely. His long hair was pulled back into a pony tail at the base of his neck, the prominence of his hard visage standing out profoundly. He was dressed in all black, causing his pale skin and icy eyes to seem more intense. Draco knew what this meant.

"You should be ready for visitors all the time," Lucius warned, pushing his son back into the room and following quickly, shutting the door with a sharp 'click'. Draco kept his balance and stood by the fire, no amount of heat able to warm him.

"What do you want?" he asked boredly, studying the serious man who looked so much like himself. "I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"Well you are going to have to get back to it later," Lucius growled. "We are being summoned. The Dark Lord has important news to share."

Draco's eyebrow rose elegantly, his lips pressed together in a tight line. "What? Did he buy a kitten?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. His father glared, obviously not appreciating the humor his son was offering.

"We cannot discuss anything here," the older man said severely. Draco watched studiously. His father was tired, he could see. The signs were written all over his taut face. It seemed that every time they spoke, the man looked older and more tired. For a split second, he almost pitied him. Almost.

With another sigh, Draco crossed the room toward his bedroom door, finally giving up on the aspect of being warm. For some reason, it just would not happen for him. "Let me change before we leave," he muttered before disappearing into his room.

While waiting, Lucius surveyed the room. On the mantle above the fire there was a picture of two girls he recognized. The first thing he noticed was brunette hair clashing violently with fire. In disgust, he picked the frame up in his hand and threw it thoughtlessly into the fire, wiping his hands as if dirt was covering them.

In all of three minutes Draco reentered the room, dress in black robes, unmarked with his house crest. He stared at his father with a horrible realization that he was becoming exactly what he was staring at.

"Let's go," he mumbled and followed the man from the room. After a few seconds the two men fell into step with each other, walking at a brisk pace toward the stairwell.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Draco questioned in a quiet voice. The hallways were dark and he did not want to risk being over heard if anyone was lurking about.

Lucius looked over his shoulder to be sure they were alone. "The meeting is at our home," he said in an equally quiet voice. "I've told that old broad that I need you for a family emergency, so we will be flooing from Dumbledore's office. Or, her office, I suppose, since _he_ is dead."

Draco nodded in response and they walked in silence, both looking straight forward with their faces tense, jaws set in steel. Neither was aware that a curious redhead had frozen in place at the mouth of a dark alcove, watching the two walk. She backed into the darkness as they passed her, both amazed and disgusted at the similarity of father and son.

-.-.-

"Before we discuss my unfortunate affair," Voldemort began in a crisp, slithering voice. "I would like to hear of your progress with the youngest Weasley, Draco."

Draco tensed, holding his hands below the table, only vaguely aware that his fingernails were in the process of murdering the palms of his hands. "I have been making progress, my Lord," he said humbly, looking into those red eyes with a bit of difficulty. "She is beginning to spend a large amount of time with me."

Voldemort nodded. "Be sure that your task does not take much longer," he said icily, staring intently into Draco's eyes. With difficulty Draco closed his mind, shielding way everything but what he wanted the other man to see. "We haven't got much time."

Lucius ears perked up and Bellatrix' dark eyes probed. "What do you mean, my Lord?" she asked in a frightened hiss.

"The Potter boy has been leaving traces in many places familiar to me," he replied vaguely in a hiss of his own. He looked at Bellatrix with a certain fondness, which she basked in, bowing her head with a proud smile.

"What does this mean?" Lucius asked, trying not to show his jealousy at the look shared between Voldemort and Bellatrix. Voldemort's angry eyes flicked back to Lucius, almost causing the younger man to look away.

"It means that the boy is discovering things about me to bring me down, you idiot," Voldemort hissed. "We have to bring him closer quickly or it will be too late."

Few heads nodded. The number present tonight was smaller than usual, only consisting of Bellatrix, Lucius and Narcissa, Draco, Theodore Nott Sr., and Severus Snape, positioned at the right hand of Voldemort.

"I want you to search for them, Severus," Voldemort said in a velvety voice, lowered in familiarity for the dark man.

Severus eyes steeled over, the black of them becoming darker as his nodded. "Yes, my Lord," he said in a quiet drawl. Draco had not noticed his presence until now, as he was keeping his eyes as far from the reptile-like thing in the head of the table.

"Lucius," Voldemort said in a frosty voice. "You will keep your eyes and ears alert at the Ministry for any news of Potter or Weasley, or anything else which would be of the slightest importance to me."

Lucius bowed his head reverently and Voldemort moved his gaze back to Draco. "Draco," he heard his voice being called in the same chilling voice, causing an unwelcome tingle to crawl up his spine. "I have and inside source watching for you inside the school. You will be sure to do as you are expected."

"Yes, my Lord," Draco responded in an obedient croak, fear spreading through his chest. Who was it? Pansy? Bletchley? He shook his head, staring at his now bleeding palm.

"Also," Voldemort was saying in a seeming conclusion. "The mail going in and out of that school is being monitored, as well as any letters shared with the Weasley family, so if Potter tries to contact anyone, we will know."

As the meeting dismissed, groups formed in the room. Voldemort was first occupied speaking with Severus, but quickly moved to where Lucius and Nott were huddled in the corner. Draco let his eyes wander to the area beside the fire where his mother's head was bowed in close perimeter with his Aunt Bella's. Only Severus was alone, and Draco jumped at his chance to quickly approach the aged man. White was beginning to show in his dark hair.

"Professor," Draco said in a strained voice, looking at the pained old man. "How… how are you?"

Severus looked at Draco with a pained, odd expression, his thin mouth twisting into a curious smirk. "I'm alive, am I not?" he responded coolly.

Draco watched, feeling the smallest amount of remorse for the life the man before him gave up for his sake. "Where did you go, after…" he faltered, pausing. "After what happened?"

The man shrugged. "I hid," he said curtly. "Out of the country for a few months. And then I came here when the investigations subsided. Your parents have been very hospitable."

"Of course they would be," Draco said. "You saved my life."

Severus shook his head, deciding not to respond to that particular statement. "Are you keeping up with your studies?" he asked instead.

Draco nodded carelessly. "As much as is necessary. I've been more focused on the Weasley rather than learning to turn a toad into a teacup," he said.

"Rats, into teacups, Draco, really," Severus responded exasperatedly. "And how do you feel about what you are doing to the girl, then?"

"I'm not doing anything to her," he replied coolly. "Just opening the opportunity for her kidnap."

"And her death," Severus responded quickly. Draco looked up at these words, not sure what to make of them. He wasn't aware that his eyebrows had slanted downward in a questioning crease. "Honestly, Draco, what do you think they will do to her when Potter has been killed? She'll be murdered at best."

When Draco did not respond, Severus sighed in an irritated manner. "You need to learn to get a hold on your emotions. You are too easily read," he snapped curtly and then dropped the edge from his voice. Lucius was approaching. "I trust you'll make the right decision, Draco."

"Draco, it is time for you to return to school," Lucius said formally when he approached; unaware of the precise note of the conversation he interrupted. "Good evening, Severus."

The dark man nodded in recognition, giving Draco a meaningful parting glance before ducking out of the room.

-.-.-

"Ginny?" Hermione called into her bedroom from where she stood before the fire. The room was eerily deserted and she was not quite sure where Draco was, but had not given it much thought.

Ginny's voice rang through from the bedroom to the larger room. "Yeah, 'Mione?" she asked.

Hermione checked the mantelpiece one last time. Dust had begun to gather lightly since the house elves had been to tidy up. However, in the center of the strip of wood was a bare, clean spot where a picture frame had sat.

"Did you move the picture of us that was on top of the fireplace?" she asked, turning toward the door.

The redhead appeared moments later and looked around the room as if to make sure she was alone before approaching Hermione by the fire. She looked for the wooden frame as well, but had as little luck finding it as the older girl had had.

"No, I haven't touched anything," Ginny said, her eyebrows crumpling in confusion. "Maybe one of the house elves took it by accident?"

Hermione shrugged and finally tore her eyes away from the tle. "Yeah, maybe you're right," she said in defeat. "It's late, let's go to bed."

Ginny nodded and moved a little too quickly for the protection of Hermione's bedroom.

-.-.-

**Wow that took longer than I had expected. School is way too time consuming and I really am trying to do better! There should be more action in the next chapter so please bare with me guys! I'm trying I promise!**

**I'm hoping to get a jump start on the next chapter and have it up a little after Valentine's Day. Not that I celebrate Valentine's Day, because I personally hate it with every fiber of my being. Not because I'm bitter and alone, I just think it's a waste of money to go buy someone a bunch of gifts to make them fatter and seem like you care more than you do. Bah. I'm sorry.**

**Yay! I got my 100 reviews! Woop!  
**

**ANYWAY. **

**I'd like to thank each and every one of you to add me to your favorites and/or alerts. And also, my reviewers:**

**The Kookie** – _Aww you're just too too sweet. I had a great birthday, thanks. Also, there is a little more Blaise in this chapter. He's not as witty and funny as I'd like but I suppose he'll do lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and I'm sorry to keep you waiting!_

**Countess Calliope**** – **_A steamy kiss, you think? I don't really know. Obviously it didn't come in this chapter… but… We've already had this talk lol. I hope you like this and get better soon!_

**WishfulWhispers**** – **_Well boo. No mass murdering? Well that just is no fun at all. Maybe I could just mass murder most of them and leave Ginny and Draco to do their thing? Hm… Anyway, I hope you are still enjoying this and thanks for the birthday wishes!_

**e.k – **_Aww well thank you. I am glad that this makes you giggle and I hope it continues to do so, however I think it might make you a little sad later on._

**xxxfire-feariexxx**** – **_Heat up? But it's only November! Things will be freezing up soon! Lol. I hope you like this and maybe next chapter will let you heat up a tad._

**HellHathNoFuryLikeMine**** –** _Ahh! Times a billion? I really really love you for saying that. You just boosted my self esteem, lol. Thanks so much and I hope you continue to enjoy!_

**edwardluver925**** –**_ Here is a little bit of Maggie for you, with more to come! Maybe Blaise can pry some information out of her past and present and all of that. I hope you are enjoying!_

**MeggyandHaku**** ­**_– Woo! I'm glad that you accept my exceptionally slow updating habits. I really try though. I hope you are still considering this worth the wait and continue to enjoy! _

**sweetvanillalover**** ­**_– Always glad to make you smile! Thanks so much for reading faithfully. I kind of enjoy that Draco is getting to Ginny and here we can she the feelings are kind of reciprocated. Bwahaha._

**Elanor Ainu**_ - Too well, you think? Well you can only be going well for so long until things have to start happening so you'll just have to wait and see what those things are! Hehehe._

**98988888** – _Actually I have used Blaise and the only two characters I made up were Professor Duff and Maggie. And I only really use Maggie. But thank you for your input._

**Babiiee-Z**** – **_Oh boy do we ever. But I guess the boys are worth putting up with when you find one you like lol. I'm glad you thought this was worth the wait. Now tell me what you think of this one xD_

**rasbery1298**** –**_ I'm glad you are enjoying it and I will try to update faster!_

**snowfire81**** – **_Ehhh not exactly soon but I hope you like it. The next one will hopefully come sooner!_

**gineveramalfoy1894**** – **_Well here you see what Lucius is up to! Well, sort of anyway. You got to see him, lol. And I hope Blaise is okay. But I hope you are enjoying. Thanks for reviewing!_

**polite-punk-rocker831**** –**_I'm glad you understand how hard it is to write a lot with school! My schedule is so full but I'm trying and I really hope you like this. The next chapter will have some more D/G interaction. Teehee._

**lani1402 – **_You think he will be, huh? Well I guess we're going to have to wait and see. I'm not really sure yet. I hope you like it! _

**Thanks again everyone and hopefully a new chapter will be up soon. At least I know what I want to happen, so yeah. **

**Happy stupid Valentine's Day,**

**Lady Cardea**


	12. Passion Leaves a Trace

**Chapter 12**

**Passion Leaves a Trace**

It was Saturday, early afternoon when the Gryffindor team was standing in two neat rows, waiting to walk onto the dead grass of the Quidditch pitch. Ginny was breathing shortly, tapping her feet anxiously.

Ritchie made a noise from somewhere behind her, sounding like a wallow. "Gin," he groaned. "I ate too much at lunch. Can't we postpone the game?"

Ginny growled in response and shot him a death glare. "Ritchie, you know how important this match it to me. I told you not to eat so much!" she said desperately. "Shake it off. We can't lose this one."

"But Ginny…" he began to whine again and was cut off by an elbow to the gut. "Ow!"

Victoria beamed up at Ginny, giving an affirmative nod. "He was just going to wish you good luck," she said, looking pleased with herself. Ginny gave the other girl an appreciative look, ignoring the moan of protest from Ritchie, who was clutching his side.

"All right team," Ginny said in an official tone, though nervously. "We have practiced long and exceptionally hard for this match, and I have every confidence in the six of you that we'll come out on top today."

"Aw, really, Gin? You're going to make me blush," Dean said jokingly. Natalie rolled her eyes, muttering "Just let her talk."

Ginny continued with only minor interruption. "So anyway, I think we are ready to face Slytherin, even at their best. Besides, if we beat them today, we will have a much better chance of winning the house cup," she said, looking at Dean. "Which would be good for you, it being your last year."

"Let's win it for Harry," Colin said, out of nowhere.

"And for Ron," Ritchie added, now recovering.

Kenneth nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, they would want us to beat Slytherin even if we don't win the cup."

Ginny smiled at her team, appreciating the sentiments she had so long wished to voice, which were now being shared with six people she had come to love.

"That's a good idea," she said with a smile. "We'll go into the game ready to win it for Harry and Ron, so when they come home we can give them the cup, or something."

The team nodded in agreement and the boys began a round of shouts and cheers. Natalie, Victoria and Ginny rolled their eyes and laughed.

After another few moments of talking amongst themselves, the team heard a loud buzz signaling that each side should enter the field so the game could begin. Everyone wishes each other good luck once more and trooped onto the pitch. Ginny found herself standing face to face with Draco, who looked tired and surprisingly uneasy. His lips curled into a smirk, though only at the corner of his mouth so it was hardly noticeable.

"We want a nice, clean game today so please keep it civil," Madam Hooch barked, looking between the smirking Slytherins and grinning Gryffindors. She reached down and released the Bludgers, causing every member of the teams to duck momentarily as they zoomed into the sky. All of the beaters mounted and took off.

"Captains, please shake hands," Hooch said and eyed Ginny and Draco conspicuously.

For a few moments, it seemed as if they had no intention of making any sort of contact. Both stared at the other as if to size them up. Neither was smiling as they stared.

And then finally Draco lifted his arm and Ginny extended her hand, and they exchanged a brief hand shake. As their hands were separating, Draco gave a slight squeeze and took off, leaving Ginny bewildered as she ascended to play the game.

-.-

"Gryffindor captain Ginny Weasley shoots for the third time today and scores on Slytherin keeper Miles Bletchley, bringing the score to Gryffindor 50-Slytherin 30," Luna said over the loud speaker. She had taken the job as Quidditch commentator when Lee had left the school.

Ginny grinned with delight at the look of agitation when she scored on Miles. The Quaffle was passed to a Slytherin chaser, Melinda Bobbin, who Ginny had seen walking with Draco to his room weeks before. She zoomed forward, determined to win it back.

As moved she saw Kenneth looking around as if he had lost something. And then she saw Draco come out of nowhere, and the pair sped off out of site. To Ginny, it looked just like years before when Draco and Harry had fought ruthlessly to find the Snitch, with a blur of black and blond swerving through the air.

She jerked her head away and focused on Bobbin, who was flying swiftly toward Victoria with the Quaffle tucked beneath her arm. When she was caught up, Ginny make a snatch for the ball but toppled forward and did a flip on her broom.

"Oh! Ginny has nearly fallen off her broom in an attempt to catch the Quaffle," Luna said airily. "And Bobbin passes to MacDougal."

Ginny groaned and flew forward in MacDougal's direction, but lost her bearings when a Bludger cracked against her shoulder. She yelped in pain and turned to see Theodore Nott smirking at her. She shot him a glare and moved away before the Bludger exhibited the boomerang effect and hit her again.

"Malfoy has spotted the Snitch!" Luna said a little too excitedly, and Ginny could see her leaning forward from the commentator box. "And Towler is close on his heel. This certainly is an exciting game."

Ginny began to tap the handle of her broom nervously with her thumb, as she looked around for the Quaffle.

"MacDougal passes the Quaffle to Bobbin," Luna said loudly. "Bobbin throws to Perks, but Dean Thomas intervenes and catches it."

A small wave of relief passed over Ginny and she began to move back in the direction of the Slytherin goal posts.

Natalie came up beside Ginny and gave her an uneasy smile. "Where's Dean?" she yelled over the noise of the crowd and the wind whipping around them. Ginny shrugged.

"I haven't seen him, but I assumed he was going this way," she yelled back, looking back toward the goal post. Natalie's eyebrows creased.

"Well let's split up," she yelled, finally shrugging. "Good luck, Gin."

Ginny nodded and they swerved apart. She weaved between the audience stands and flew lower, trying to catch a glimpse of the third chaser, but he not flying anywhere near her.

"Ginny is looking a little disoriented today," Luna said, her voice echoing throughout the field. "I suspect wrackspurt."

A wave of laughter was cut short by a collective gasp. Ginny looked around anxiously for the source and then found it, lying on the ground beside the abandoned Quaffle. She sped quickly to the ground where Dean was laying and snatched the Quaffle, but lingered.

"Dean I have to go or they're going to take the ball," Ginny said quickly. "Are you going to be okay?"

Dean nodded, almost vigorously and gave her a doggish grin. "I'm fine. Just go and I'll be up in a minute," he said, though it was obvious he was a little less than able to fly. Ginny hesitantly kicked off and headed straight for the Slytherin rings, making the score 60-30.

When Natalie had taken possession of the Quaffle, Ginny flew down to make sure Dean was being taken care of and saw him being levitated off the field. She sighed and flew up next to Natalie.

"Dean got hurt and is out of the game," she yelled.

Natalie looked shocked. "Well I guess we'll have to do our best without him," she yelled back and handed the ball off to Ginny, who took off. The repossession confused the Slytherins, who were all flying toward Natalie.

Ginny took the chance to make the score 70-30, but the ball was recovered by Melinda Bobbin, who took it and scored.

"Slytherin surprises every one and scores again," Luna said. "The score is now Gryffindor 70 Slytherin 40."

And then she saw it. A tiny gold ball with wings, zipping around her head. She also saw to blurs of color zooming toward her and in a moment of fright she jerked her broom downward. Draco barely missed knocking into her. If he had not swerved to the side at the last minute, there would surely have been a collision.

This near accident served as an adequate diversion, giving Kenneth only moments to wrap his fist around the Snitch and hold it up in victory. Draco looked angry for a split second, and then shrugged and descended.

"Kenneth Towler caught the snitch!" Luna said brightly. "And Gryffindor wins the game!"

-.-.-

After nearly a half hour of cheering, screaming, and exalting, the team and fans quieted down in the Quidditch field and marched inside to set up for a party. Ginny congratulated each of her team mates and watched as they walked toward the front doors.

She had decided not to participate in the party tonight, feeling more like being alone. She was thinking so much about Harry and how similar Kenneth and Draco looked to Harry and Draco fighting for the snitch. She shook her head to get rid of the images and walked toward the shower room, sure that it would be empty due to the pending festivities.

Ginny pushed through the door to the communal shower room and dropped her bag of fresh clothes on the bench and took off her Quidditch robes, leaving her in shorts and an old t-shirt Harry had left with her last summer. Those months seemed so far away now, almost like a dream.

"_Harry, you left your t-shirt in my bedroom last night," Ginny whispered when the Weasley children, Hermione and Harry were seated in the family room while the adults convened in the kitchen. Harry and Ron were playing wizard's chess and Ron had been contemplating his next move for nearly five minutes._

_Finally he moved a piece. "Check," he said and Harry moved forward, made a careless move, and sat back again. Ron began to ponder once more._

"_Just keep it," Harry whispered back. _

"_But you wear it all the time," Ginny replied, checking to be sure Ron was still thinking. Hermione shifted in her chair in the corner of the room, completely enthralled in a book she was reading_

_Harry shrugged unnoticeably, still watching Ron. "You can keep it and have me with you when you wear it to bed or something," he said. "I want you to keep it."_

"_Okay," Ginny replied with a subtle smile, her insides glowing. "Thanks."_

_Harry opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by Ron making his final move, looking up with a triumphant smile._

"_Check mate."_

With a sigh, she turned on one of the showers, leaving the door to the stall open as she went into her bag to put away her clothes. Just as she was about to slip out of her shorts, the door banged shut and she turned to see Draco standing in his uniform.

"Oh," he said looking her up and down. "I figured you would be up celebrating with your team."

Ginny shrugged. "I didn't feel like partying tonight," she said. "You played a good game."

Draco looked at her with a faint smirk on his face. "Apparently not good enough. You Gryffindors play dirty," he said, joking. "Of course, I'm all for violence on the field."

A blush made itself comfortable on Ginny's cheeks. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to run into you, I just wasn't expecting the two of you to come at me so fast," she said. "It probably would have been your game if it weren't for me."

"Not that you mind," he replied. "You played a good game too."

"Thanks," Ginny said quietly. "Are you about to take a shower? I can go."

Draco shook his head. "There are stalls, Weasley," he said, seeming slightly amused. "I promise I won't kill you in the loo."

Ginny nodded, blushing again and mentally kicking herself for how weird she was acting around a Slytherin like Malfoy. She turned around to get a towel and heard Draco's bag hit the bench a few feet away from hers. When she looked up, he was standing right beside her, watching her closely.

For a split second everything Ginny had been stressing over and worrying about disappeared. Somewhere, maybe in the very back of her head, she thought of Harry, but the vast difference in steely ice blue and warm emerald green confused her.

And then all she could see was Draco standing in front of her with a weird expression settling on his face. Quickly she turned around and walked toward the shower, which was still running idly. Her ears began to buzz and she felt a hand on her wrist, pulling her back. As she spun around, Ginny nearly fell over but was supported by strong arms around her waist, backing her forcefully into the door of the stall. They stood for a moment, half in and half out, water sprinkling on them.

And then his lips crashed onto hers, his body pressed so tightly that she could hardly breathe from being sandwiched between him and the stall. Not sure what to do with them, her hands settled on his hips, pulling him as close as she possibly could.

While they kissed, Ginny felt Draco biting softly on her bottom lip. They twisted around so he was against the wall, and the next thing she knew they were beneath the jet of warm water and the body heat was overwhelming. Draco pushed his hands under the baggy shirt she was wearing and let his hands rest on the smooth skin above her shorts.

The next thing she knew, her legs were wrapped around his waist and her feet were off the ground. She was once again pushed back into a hard surface, but this time it was the inside of the door, which was now closed.

The door slammed open and they both froze, their faces separating. Instinctively Ginny ducked her head so she could not be seen over the stall.

"Ginny?" Hermione's voice called from the door way. "Are you in here?"

Draco poked his head above the door. "It's just me in here, Granger," he said. "But Weasley left her bag on the bench. "

"Oh," Hermione said. "Did you see her? No one has seen her since the game ended and the party is kind of waiting."

"No, Granger. I haven't seen her," he said. "Now would you kindly leave so I can finish my shower in peace?"

Ginny heard Hermione sigh loudly. She heard footsteps and then the door closed and Draco set her down.

"Well that was a close one," he said with a playful grin on his face.

Ginny groaned and leaned back against the door, looking up at Draco with a weird expression. Water was still streaming down over him, but she was barely out of the line of fire. "I should probably get back so no one else comes looking for me," she said, letting out a sigh.

"You don't have to go yet," Draco replied, cocking his head to one side and grinning again. "I was kind of enjoying myself."

She couldn't help but smile. "I don't know if I should be doing this," she said quietly, looking away from him. "I'm supposed to hate you."

Draco shrugged. "Well you obviously don't hate me," he said, though the smugness had gone from his voice. "Is that the only reason you don't want to do this?"

Ginny looked up at him hopelessly and saw green eyes again. She blinked. Grey. "No," she said quietly. "It's…" she stopped. "Nothing important… I just think it's a bad idea."

"Potter," Draco said, looking at her. "That's what it is, isn't it?"

Ginny considered this for a moment and shook her head vehemently. "No," she said. "Harry and I aren't seeing each other anymore."

"But you still want to, don't you?" he asked. One of his perfect eyebrows was raised. "You're still waiting on him even though the two of you decided not to date anymore."

"I'm not waiting for him," Ginny protested.

"Then stop waiting for him and take a chance with somebody else!" Draco said, frustrated. "You have always had a boyfriend since I've known who you are, but not this year. Because you're waiting for Potter."

"No I'm not!" Ginny said back at him, getting angrier because he wouldn't drop the subject.

Draco looked at her curiously. "Well then prove it," he said, purposefully egging her on.

So Ginny did the only thing she could think to do at that moment. She jumped back at him, quickly securing her legs around his waist, and crushed her lips against his.

-.-.-.-

"Ginny, you missed the party," Hermione said when the redhead entered the small bedroom for the Head Girl. "I brought your bag back. You left it in the changing rooms."

Ginny smiled and set her towel and wet clothes on the bathroom sink and reentered the bedroom. "Thanks 'Mione," she said, looking down at the black t-shirt and grey and black plaid boxers she was wearing.

Hermione looked at her attire, noticing that it was not familiar. "What are you wearing?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "And where did you go after the game? Everyone was looking for you in the Gryffindor Tower."

"I went to the prefects bathroom and took a bath to relax," she replied, lying easily. "And I got this stuff from Ron before I left the house. I just never wear it much anymore." Another lie, making her feel bad as her friend looked at her with complete trust.

"Do you want help with Potions tomorrow?' Hermione asked, sticking her thumb in her book and closing it.

Ginny froze. "Uh… No thanks, 'Mione," she said, pulling a pair of white knee-high's onto her legs. "I think I understand what we're doing right now actually."

"Oh, okay," Hermione replied, looking a little upset.

A twinge of guilt caught Ginny off guard. "But maybe we could do your rounds together," she amended, looking at the girl expectantly.

Hermione smiled brightly. It worked. "That would be great, Gin," she said. "I'm going to keep reading. Will that bother you?"

Ginny shook her head as she pulled her hair into a long pony tail. "Nah. I'm going to go back to my dorm for a few minutes and get some clothes," she said. "I'll be back in a little while, okay?"

The bushy-haired girl nodded as Ginny slipped out of the room and into the hallway, her mind revisiting the events of the evening with disbelieving stupor.

And as she walked, she bit her lip, unaware of the purpling hickey that was beginning to form.

-.-.-

"_I just can't have this kind of relationship with you, Malfoy," Ginny said in a frustrated and strained voice. "I can't forget everything that you've done in the past."_

"_Weasley, I'm not asking you to fall in love with me," Draco said, looking at her pointedly. "I'm just asking you to have an open mind. I might surprise you."_

_-.-.-_

The next morning Ginny awoke to the soft rhythm of Hermione's breathing as the sun was peeking through her window. Yesterday's events rushed back to her in full throttle and then Harry was on her mind.

Draco had been right, she decided. She was still waiting for Harry. That was what he had wanted her to do though. It had all been very clear at the beginning of the summer, when he told her that he just couldn't stay away…

"_Harry, I understand that you wanted to break up with me for protection and all of that hero stuff or whatever," Ginny said, somewhat angrily. "But if that is how it's going to be then you can't go kissing me like that."_

_Harry sighed. The frustration was apparently a shared emotion. "I can't_ not _be with you, Ginny. I hate it," he said bluntly, looking at her in the eyes._

_Ginny raised her eyebrow. "That's not what you said before," she said. "You told me you couldn't see me because I could get put into danger."_

"_Well I know that," he replied. "But I figured out a way to benefit both of us."_

"_Oh yeah?" Ginny asked wit ha little bit of an attitude. "And what is that?"_

_Harry took her hands and pulled her a little closer. "We'll be together," he said. "But until the war is over, we just have to keep it a secret. Even from your family."_

Ginny sighed at the memory. She was frustrated at the position she was in. There was no more denying that she had an attraction for Malfoy, however strange that attraction might be. But she still loved Harry, only she couldn't tell anyone.

Life could be a real bitch sometimes.

-.-.-

"So what's the point in patrolling when it isn't even curfew yet?" Ginny asked later that night as she and Hermione walked the fourth floor.

Hermione shrugged. "Just to make sure no one is fighting in the halls or something," she said. "And curfew starts in fifteen minutes. I got the early shift."

"Who got the late one?" Ginny asked, idly looking around at the students going by.

"Malfoy," Hermione replied with disgust in her voice. "He's been acting unusually strange lately."

Ginny paled and hoped that Hermione didn't notice. "Strange?" she asked. "How so?"

The other girl shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "He's been very short with me. Not that he isn't usually, but he at least insults me on a normal basis. Now all I get is 'Okay, mudblood, I understand. Now go away.'" Or something of a similar nature."

"Oh," Ginny said with a shrug. "I wouldn't take it personally." It was a small attempt to lighten the mood, and it caused both girls to laugh.

"What happened to your lip?" Hermione asked, her eyebrows showing confusion. "You've got a bruise."

Ginny's eyes popped open. "What? I do?" she asked, instinctively reaching to touch her lip. "I must have bitten it or something."

Hermione shrugged and let the subject go, immediately returning to talk of school and lesson plans.

-.-.-.-.-.-

**Okay I'm . All of you neglected to answer my question! So I will ask it again and hope for at least one person to respond.**

**Here it is.**

**Are you ready?**

**Okay.**

**Is Lord Voldemort (Tom Riddle) a virgin?**

**I've gotta know.**

**Anyway, I wrote this fast and I hope that you enjoyed it. It was longer than it isually is and that's a plus I guess, and there was some action. I really want reviews, yall, so please tell me what you think!**

The Kookie – _Yeah, I would totally date Blaise if he weren't a fictional character. Booo! So how was your stupid Valentine's Day, anyway? I'm glad someone shares my sentiments. A_

_As for Draco, I've no idea who he's going to choose, to be honest._

snowfire81 – _Yay, sooner! I really hope you liked this and that it was worth the wait. And thank you for reviewing!_

Countess Calliope – _You are one dirty little girl. I hope this chapter was enough to sustain you for a little while, lol. But there's more to come (winky). Pun intended._

xxxfire-feariexxx – _Lol! It's a little early for hot and passionate, but it's on the way. See above review._

Elanor Ainu – _Yeah I liked bringing Snape into it, and hopefully will have the opportunity to add some more of his wiseness._

_And Valentine's Day was basically the same for me this year. Bor-ing._

WishfulWhispers – _Yay! Another Valentine hater! I'm on the mission to mass murderance, and getting Draco and Ginny on friendly terms. Hope you enjoyed!_

MeggyandHaku – _WOAH BABY, IT'S COMING!_

sweetvanillalover – _Hehehehehe. I have no idea who the insider is. Now why would you ask a question like that? XD Hope you liked it._

**Okay, so no further insight on last chapter info, but it got a little steamy in there. And I don't mean the shower.**

**I hope you liked it and am looking forward to seeing what you think!**

**Love the overly stressed but somehow able to get this chapter out fast,**

**Lady Cardea**


	13. Under My Skin

**Well that took a little longer than was expected… I typed some and then forgot about it I guess. Sorry guys!**

**This chapter is following up the little shower scene and hopefully will not disappoint, but I don't think I will get so lucky. It's not a very good chapter.  
**

**I had some really interesting responses to the Voldemort question. Everyone should go and read those hehehehe.**

**Anyway, read, enjoy and review! **

**-.-.-.-**

**Chapter 13**

**Under My Skin**

December introduced itself with another beautiful snow, much to Ginny's pleasure. The air outside was crisp and there was a thick blanket of snow on the ground. The last leaves on the Whomping Willow had fallen to the ground and every flower, bush and blade of grass had been thoroughly enveloped in a good twelve inches of snow. The large lake on the grounds was also completely frozen over, and many younger students were pulling out a pair of skates, clumsily gliding around on the ice.

Also, due to the weather, all Herbology classes had been cancelled indefinitely. Students were having a particularly difficult time getting to the greenhouses, and some of the plants were beginning to die out, thus leaving Ginny with nothing to do for two hours on Tuesday morning.

After layering another robe over her school robes, Ginny decided to take a walk outside, thinking she might find Maggie, who was in her Herbology class. Hermione was in Potions, therefore unavailable.

Ginny stepped out into the snow and a smile immediately took hold of her face. She inhaled deeply and took in the wonderful scent of winter; the beautiful surroundings and all of the frosted plants and buildings. Hagrid's cabin had a foot of snow caked around his doorway, and Ginny could see him pushing it around to get it out of the way. He would see the weather as an imposition, probably having to keep a number of odd creatures in his cramped quarters.

She laughed aloud and turned her head when she heard a voice.

"What's so funny, Gin?" Maggie asked, hugging herself to keep warm, and looking to follow Ginny's eyes to the source.

Ginny shook her head. "Nothing," she said, her laugh fading to a smile. "I was just looking for you, actually."

"Well that works out perfectly. I was just looking for you," Maggie replied, breaking into a grin. "Blaise is in class for another half hour so I've nothing to do."

"Huh. That works out perfectly then," Ginny said and the two began to walk through the snow. "We need to catch up anyway. What have you been up to lately?"

Maggie shrugged, digging her hands into her pockets. "I've been spending a lot of time with Blaise, so I guess that's why I've been so preoccupied," she said. "Nothing really too interesting."

There was a pause and then Maggie gave Ginny a look. "What?" Ginny asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Have you talked to Potter recently?" the other girl asked, giving Ginny a strange stare, as if she knew something. Ginny shook her head and looked confused. "If you're wondering why I asked, he was reported to be in London the other day. He was seen coming out of Gringotts. I wondered if you knew why."

Ginny shook her head, trying to conceal her shock at not knowing this information. She mentally kicked herself for not reading the paper more often. "No, I didn't know," she said. "Was he hurt or anything? They didn't catch him did they?"

Maggie shook her head. "No, he was just spotted is all," she said. "He was coming out of Gringotts under an invisibility cloak and it slipped. Your brother was with him."

Ginny could feel her heart beginning to beat faster and faster with worry for her brother and for Harry. But they were safe and okay, Maggie had said so. So there was nothing to worry about.

But there were so close. So close to home; to her. What could they have needed that was inside Gringotts? The obvious answer would have been money, but for what? It wasn't as if they could waltz into a store and let the public see them. Anyone could be watching. Anyone could be near them in a matter of seconds.

She sighed and looked back up at Maggie. "Well as long as they are both okay, then it's good to know that they didn't drop off the face of the Earth or something," Ginny said, putting on a smile and willing her mind to stay away from Harry for the time being.

"What?" Maggie asked, looking confused. "You seriously haven't been writing Harry while he's away?"

Ginny shook her head. "No," she said. "I haven't talked to him since they left." Maggie looked disappointed, but shrugged the expression away.

"Well are you moving on then?" Maggie asked, looking at Ginny. Her face had changed from discontent to deviously happy and she was leering at Ginny as if she knew something. "Have you got a new boy, yet?"

With a laugh, Ginny shook her head. "No, not really," she said. "I'm not waiting for Harry. But no one has caught my eye just yet."

Maggie shrugged. "Well what about that guy on your Quidditch team? It's so completely obvious that he fancies you," she said. "And he's cute."

"Who? Dean?" Ginny asked, scrunching her nose. "We tried that last year and it just didn't work out so I don't think…"

"No, no, not Thomas," Maggie interrupted. "I mean your seeker. The good-looking one with black hair?"

"Kenneth? No, we're just friends," Ginny said.

Maggie shrugged again. "Well if you say so," she said loftily and looked behind Ginny, her mouth curling into a toothy smile. She lifted a hand and waved.

Ginny turned and saw Blaise and Draco walking outside, and conveniently, toward the two of them. Her heart quickened again as she turned her body to face the pair when they approached.

"Hello ladies," Blaise said with a smooth ease, slipping his arm around Maggie and laying a kiss on the top of her hair. "What are you doing out here in the cold?"

"Just having a girl conversation," Maggie said brightly. "We both have Herbology this morning but it got cancelled so we were catching up."

"Well I hope we're not imposing on your conversation too much," Blaise said, looking between the two girls.

"No, you're not. I was actually just about to go inside," Ginny said, taking the opportunity to make her escape. Draco was still watching her and she wasn't sure what to do. "I've got some Homework to do before Defense."

Maggie nodded. "All right. Bye Ginny," she said and waved. "We'll talk again soon."

Ginny nodded and turned to walk away, vaguely hearing Draco making his excuses to get away from the couple as well. They happily let him go, and he crunched his way toward the building, ten feet behind her.

Without really thinking about the direction she was going in, Ginny walking to the Head common room and stood by the doorway, waiting for it to open. Draco walked in only moments later and closed the door behind himself, immediately catching Ginny in a lip lock. They stumbled backwards and she leaned against the table, half sitting and half standing.

When they pulled away, he smirked down at her and ran a finger across her bottom lip. "I'm going to have to be more careful in the future," he said. "I left a bruise."

Ginny groaned. "Yeah and now I've got Hermione and Maggie both asking me about my love life," she said.

"So you love me, huh Weasley?" Draco asked her, smirking still in his obnoxious way. Ginny rolled her eyes and pushed him away so she could stand up straight.

"No I do not love you, Malfoy," Ginny replied, exasperated. "It's merely a figure of speech."

"I know that," Draco said, shaking his head. "No need to get your knickers in a bunch."

Ginny rolled her eyes and went over to the couch, dropping her back and pulling out her Defense against the Dark Arts book, opening it to page 342, which was a chapter on vampires. Draco came over and sat beside her, peeking over her shoulder.

"What are you studying?" he asked, seeming only vaguely interested.

"Vampires," Ginny said. She side glanced at him and continued looking at her book, reading through the first sentence four times before it stuck.

"Well that's boring," Draco said, looking at her rather than the book. "When is Granger going to be back from her class?"

Ginny looked at the clock on the wall and back at her book. "In about thirty minutes," she replied, making a conscious effort not to look over at him to save her from being even more distracted than she already was.

"Then why are you doing your homework?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Because I finally grew up and realized that it's not going to grow hands and do itself," Ginny replied, trying to sound relaxed.

Draco smirked. "What I meant, smart arse, was why are you doing your homework when you only have thirty minutes until Granger gets back?" he asked.

Ginny looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "Is there something else that I should be doing, Malfoy?"

"Yes," he said.

"And what is that?"

He smirked at her again. "Me."

Ginny groaned and pushed him away. "That's exactly why this will never work between us," she said in aggravation. "You sleep with too many people and you don't ever care about any of them. All you care about is sex. I'm not going to be another notch in your bed post."

"I never even said that I wanted to sleep with you, Weasley," Draco said, looking at her pointedly.

"So you don't want to, then?" she challenged, for some reason a bit disappointed. Her arms were crossed again, and he couldn't help but notice the delicate way her breasts pushed together when she did, every move only making it worse.

"Well I didn't say that either," Draco said. He shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. That's just how I am. I'm not into serious relationships."

Ginny shoved her book into her bag and zipped it up.

"Where are you going?" he asked, watching her as she stood but not moving to follow. He had his back reclined against the sofa and his hands folded behind his head, looking completely lazy. Ginny took a look at him and rolled her eyes, wondering how she could be attracted to something so vile and obnoxious.

"I am going to study in a quiet place where you won't bother me," she informed him, straightening her uniform.

Draco's eyebrow inclined. "When are we going to have alone time again?" he asked, though the manner in which he spoke made him seem so cavalier that Ginny wondered if he really cared.

"I'm going to have alone time right now."

He snorted. "I meant you and me together," he said. "Honestly Weasley, I thought you had a little bit more sense than that."

"I just figured you would have the brains enough to figure out that I just told you we're not going to have alone time again," Ginny said. "I should have trusted my instincts the first time around, when my conscious was telling me not to agree to get to know you better. Fortunately for me, that's a problem easily remedied."

Draco unfolded his hands and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "So why are you giving up so quickly?" he asked. "I never took your for a quitter."

"I'm not a quitter, Malfoy," Ginny said, her patience beginning to run thin. "I'm just not going to sit back and be one girl out of many that are dating you."

"What if I agreed to date you and only you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. He began to think of his father, and what it would mean if she pulled away this far along. "Would you give it another try, then?"

Ginny laughed and gave him a look of disbelief. "And you would do that?" she asked. Draco was silent and she nodded. "That's what I thought."

He was silent, his thoughts racing. He didn't want to take her offer, but not for the reason she thought. He was beginning to wonder if his involvement with the littlest Weasley was merely business after all.

Her hand was on the door so he acted. "Stop," he said. "I'll do it."

"I have to think it over," Ginny said, giving him a parting glance over her shoulder. "Maybe you should too."

-.-.-.-.-

"_Harry, we have to get away from here soon," Ron argued heatedly, his face the color of his hair. "We were in the bloody paper last week."_

_Harry growled. "I know that, Ron," he said impatiently, tapping his wand on the object before him. "But I just think we're missing something."_

"_What could we be missing?" Ron asked. "We've got what we came for and now we have to move on or they'll catch us."_

"_I just feel like something is going to happen," Harry said, shaking his head as he looked up at the other boy. "Something bad. And I feel like I should stay near London."_

"_We can't base our plan on a weird feeling in your stomach, mate," Ron said. "It could be something you ate."_

_Harry laughed. "That would be difficult, considering we haven't eaten a thing," he replied smartly._

"_Well that's what it is then," Ron said. "Let's go do that."_

_Harry sighed and tore his eyes from what was before him. "Okay," he agreed, and stood to follow Ron out of the tent._

Voldemort stormed into the larger room where Lucius and Severus had their heads close together in a quiet conversation. Both snapped their attention toward him when he entered, looking concerned.

"What is it, my lord?" Lucius asked, bowing his head.

"Potter has stolen what I trusted into your hands, which was hiding in your vault at Gringott's," Voldemort hissed.

Lucius was alarmed and immediately frightened for his life. "But it is not possible to break into Gringott's," he protested.

"You half-wit! They've done it! You idiots have been outsmarted by a teenager and his side-kick," he bellowed.

Severus took the moment to interject. "What can be done to amend this error, my lord?" he asked humbly, smoothly. His head was bowed slightly, to show his respect as well.

Voldemort stared through him, his eyes flashing red. "They are staying near London," he said. His voice was so deathly low, that even shouting would be more welcome. "I want you to find them and bring Potter to me. Kill the spare."

Both men swept into deep bows. "Yes, my lord," they murmured simultaneously, making to remove themselves from the room.

"Keep in mind, gentlemen, that if you should fail this time, it will be your last."

Without another word, they were gone.

-.-.-.-

"Do you think she's thinking about me?" Ron asked, stuffing another piece of bread into his mouth to appease his growling stomach.

Harry was staring into space, his mind busy with plans and details. "Who, Ron?" he asked distractedly.

"Hermione," the other boy said, his cheeks flaring again. "Not that I care or anything. I just wonder if she's thinking about me. Err, us."

The boys made eye contact and Harry shook his head.

"You have nothing to worry about Ron. Hermione thinks about you just as much as you do her," he said, cracking a smile. "Now let's go to bed for the night so you can dream about your happy return to her."

Ron shoved Harry and they re-entered the tent, both falling asleep with a different woman on their minds.

-.-.-.-.-

**Well that was a little bit different, don't you think? I hadn't really shown anything concerning Harry and Ron except the rare letters Ginny gets, so I thought I would change it up a bit and show you what's really going on with them.**

**What do you think? Anything interesting?**

**For all you Maggie haters. Does this change anything for you? Better? Worse? Same?**

**I'd love to hear your responses to this chapter and I'm sorry that it took so long for me to get out! School is swamping me, but I'm on spring break so maybe I can get another one typed or partially typed before stupid school returns to me.**

**I'd like to send a thanks to all those who reviewed my last chapter. However, this time I don't think I will type out each person's review individually. As I'm writing this, it's very late and I'm ready to get some sleep.**

**Next chapter I will write everyone's review comment! I promise!**

**Thanks for reading every one and please send some feedback.**

**Your loving author and now registered ff beta reader,**

**Lady Cardea**


	14. Here Come the Holidays

For most of that week, Ginny did not see Draco

**Oh. My. Gosh.**

**It's been a month and a half.**

**And I am so sorry. **

**This chapter sucks, but please try to enjoy. Explanation at the end.**

**-.-.-**

**Chapter 14**

**Here Come the Holidays**

For most of that week, Ginny did not see Draco. When she did see him, they didn't speak. He would look at her and she would look back, but it only lasted a few moments and then it was over.

Friday night, Ginny went into Hermione's common room around nine. Hermione had already left for her rounds, so Ginny curled up on the couch and opened a tattered copy of Pride and Prejudice, by a muggle author. The book had been a gift from her father for her fifteenth birthday, and it was still her favorite. Something about the story of a poor girl falling in love with and marrying an arrogant rich boy appealed to Ginny, so she read it over and over.

And in walked Draco, Blaise tailing him closely. Ginny looked up from her book when they entered and studied the pair momentarily before returning her eyes to the pages before her.

"Aw, Weasley, you're so cold," Blaise said in a whiny voice, as Draco kicked the door shut with his foot. "Why do you always ignore me?"

Ginny rolled her eyes, looking back up at the pair. "Because you bug me," she replied flatly. "Where's Maggie?"

Blaise shrugged. "She said she had some homework or something to do tonight," he said. "I'm going to meet her in a little bit."

"But you said she has homework," Ginny said, raising her eyebrow. Blaise shrugged, grinning at her toothily.

"Yeah well, homework is boring," he replied easily. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I allowed her to sit alone in her dorm, being devoured by homework all evening?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "A sane, non-clingy and non-obnoxious one?" she asked innocently and then shrugged. "You're right. That's so not you, Zabini."

Draco rolled his eyes, deciding to take his turn and intervene. "The way you two are talking, one would think that you've got some secret thing going on behind Bennett's back," he said slyly, feeling a hint of jealousy from the banter between Ginny and Blaise.

Blaise snorted, shaking his head. "Oh, Draco, Draco, Draco," he said, smiling as if he had some big secret to keep from the rest of the world. He clicked his tongue.

"What, Zabini?" Draco asked, sounding bored.

"It's not Maggie who is going to get jealous of Miss Weasley and I," he said matter-of-factly.

More than one eyebrow was raised at the suggestion. Draco and Ginny exchanged a bemused glance before turning their eyes back to Blaise. "And who will it be then?" Draco asked.

"You," Blaise said with a grin, shuffling toward the door.

"Yeah? What makes you think that?" Ginny asked, her thumb slipping from in between the pages of her book. She had lost her place.

Blaise shrugged. "A little birdie told me," he said with a chuckle, opening the door. "Au revoir!" The door closed, and once again, Ginny and Draco were alone.

-.-.-.-

The small space between the side of Draco's bed and the wall was extremely uncomfortable and most certainly not meant for a whole person to fit inside. Even if the person was as small as Ginny Weasley.

As she tried not to breath too loudly or make a noise of discomfort from the awkward position her body was contorted in, she could hear a knock on the door and voices.

"Malfoy! Open the door!" Hermione's voice demanded sounding muffled. Ginny heard Draco let out a sigh before walking over and opening the door.

"What do you want, Granger?" he asked in his usual, calm and bored drawl.

"Ginny's stuff is in the common room," Hermione said.

_Way to point out the obvious, 'Mione,_ Ginny said in her head, sucking in a slow breath to be as quiet as she possibly could.

"Congratulations for Weasley," Draco replied smartly, still sounding immensely bored and imposed upon. "Shall I throw her a party? 

_He's so good at being an arse._

An exasperated sigh escaped from Hermione and Ginny could almost feel her friend's hands perching on her hips to show how upset she was. "Well she never leaves her things in our common room unless she's here," she said. "So where is she?"

"How the bloody hell should I know?" Draco asked, sounding almost a little disgusted.

Ginny let out an 'oomph' when she slipped, her cheek hitting the floor, causing her to bite down on her lip. _Shit._

"What was that?" Hermione asked. Ginny was sure she was peaking over Draco's shoulder to look into his room. "Have you got her tied up and gagged or something, Malfoy?"

_Sweet Merlin, go away, Hermione! _Ginny screamed in her head, about to collapse from the position she was holding herself in against the wall.

"No Granger, I don't," Draco said, sounding annoyed. "Look. I'm busy. I'm sure your little Weasel will turn up eventually and you'll have nothing to worry about. So leave me alone."

"But-"

Ginny held back a snicker.

"Goodbye, Granger," Draco said and before another word came from Hermione, the door shut. There was a pause of silence and Ginny scrambled up, collapsing on the bed with a sigh. Draco cast a silencing charm on the room and stood at the foot of his bed, staring down at Ginny with a predatory smirk.

"Finally alone again," he said, shaking his head. "Granger never shuts up does she? I can't see how you stand her."

"I've withstood worse things than Hermione," Ginny said, rolling her eyes and giving him a pointed glance.

Draco laughed. "Yeah, but you can't snog Granger," he said. "So you kind of have to keep putting up with me."

Ginny shrugged. "Well you know, I could just go find someone else to snog," she said with a grin. She tried to ignore the way her heart began to hammer when he climbed on the bed, hovering above her.

He leaned over and kissed her, leaving a squirming sensation in her stomach. When he pulled back, he was smirking down at her. "No, love, I don't think you want to find someone else to snog," he said.

-.-.-

"_So I've been thinking all week," Draco said, watching Ginny closely. He leaned against his doorway, and she leaned against the arm of the couch._

_One eyebrow was raised. "Took you that long, did it?" she asked smartly. "I do hope your head wasn't hurting too bad. Did you come to any conclusions?"_

_Draco rolled his eyes at her. "If you keep being so rude, I won't share my conclusions with you," he said, giving her a pointed stare. _

_Ginny sighed. "Well, I would tell you that I don't care if you tell me or not, but I think you want to tell me," she said. "So go ahead. What is your conclusion?"_

"_I've decided that I am going to give up sex and other girls," Draco said. Ginny opened her mouth to say something but he shook his head. "I'm not done. I'm giving up other girls and you are going to date me."_

"_I can't date you, Draco," she said flatly. "Hermione would tell Harry when he comes back and Ron would freak and it would be a mess."_

_Draco shrugged. "Well then we won't tell anyone. It would be better for me that way anyway," he said. _

_For a few moments, Ginny considered this. Her mind was racing, thinking about Harry and everything that had happened since school began that year with Draco. With a sigh, she finally decided that it was useless to continue fighting whatever phase was going on with her, concerning Draco._

"_All right then," she said. "We date secretly. But if I hear anything about other girls, it's over. No second chances."_

_Draco nodded, smirking as he opened his door. "All right then," he said. "Would you like to come in?"_

-.-.-

"Malfoy," Ginny said breathlessly, pulling away from him. She looked up at the clock, which read 11:42. "I have to go. Hermione will be worried sick by now."

Draco grinned down at her and kissed her again. "Well if you have to," he said, though he didn't make any moves to let her out from under him.

"Come on, Malfoy, really," Ginny said with a little laugh. "I need to go."

He kissed her again. "All right. But you have to stop calling me Malfoy. It's weird dating someone who won't use my first name," he said, sitting up so she could get out of the bed.

Ginny laughed. "Okay then, Draco," she said, standing up and straightening her clothes. She walked over to the door. "I'll see you later."

He nodded and watched as she quietly slipped out of the door, undoubtedly to make a subtle entrance into Hermione's dorm, where she would lie and say she'd been in the library.

-.-.-.-

The days of December ticked by as the whole of the Hogwarts students were studying for end of semester exams and getting antsy to be home. Finally December 17th came around. Exams were over and there was only twenty-four hours until the train pulled away and the Holidays began.

Hermione found Ginny when lunch was beginning and sat down with a long, relieved sigh. Ginny looked up with a grin.

"I'm finally finished packing all of my books and homework for break, and I've got my clothes all folded in my suitcase," Hermione said.

Ginny resisted a snort. "And I haven't even opened my suitcase," she said and shook her head. "Are you excited to go home and see your parents?"

The other girl nodded fervently. Her bushy hair sprang up and down as if every strand was just as excited as she was. "I can't wait," she breathed, picking up a sandwich and taking a bite. "It's not extremely simple to owl my parents when my mum is afraid of birds."

"That could cause a few difficulties, I suppose," Ginny said with a giggle.

"What about you?" Hermione asked. "You must be excited to see your parents and your brothers."

Ginny nodded. "I am. I just wish Harry and Ron were coming home, even for a day or something," she said with a shrug. "My mum told me to remind you that you're invited for Christmas Eve dinner. New years too."

A smiled graced Hermione's mouth. "I've already arranged all of that with my parents, so I'll be there for both," she said.

As Ginny was about to say something else, Maggie sat down beside her with a grin and a package wrapped in brown paper. "Hey Gin," she said and nodded at Hermione. "Hello, Hermione."

Hermione smiled her hello. "I'm going to run back to my dorm and check my bags again. See you later, Gin," she said and stood up, zipping out of the Great Hall.

Ginny turned to Maggie so she could pay complete attention. "What's up?" she asked, as the brown package was being shoved into her arms. 

"This is for you," Maggie said, her grin only growing wider as she watched Ginny's face contort into a mix of confusion and anticipation. She reached into her bag and pulled out her gift for Maggie. She tucked it away. "I'll open it later. You open yours now."

With a soft laugh, Ginny untied the strings binding the paper to the box they were wrapped around. She tossed the paper onto the floor and open the box, nearly jumping out of her seat when a large amount of colored paper, loud sparks and howling noises came from her box.

She could feel the entire population of the Hall staring in her direction with surprised gasps, excited shrieks and nonenvious giggles. When the noise died down, Ginny was covered in confetti and couldn't help but laugh, her face turning the color of her hair as she did so.

"Now look in the box," Maggie instructed with a grin on her face, watching with anticipation and enjoyment as Ginny pulled out a box of broom repair tools. Ginny grinned. "I figured you could use it to make sure your broom is functional before and after our sessions."

Ginny laughed. "Thanks Maggie," she said. "This is great."

-.-.-

The next morning, Ginny snuck off from she and Hermione's compartment to find Draco. She hadn't had a chance to see him the night before, and still wanted to give him his Christmas gift. Hermione thought she was in the restroom.

Draco smirked and pulled her into the compartment. "I was hoping you'd stop by before you left," he said and kissed her, shutting the door. "How long have we got?"

"Ten minutes? I'm supposed to be in the bathroom," she said and then looked around. "So anyway," Ginny continued. "I wanted to give you your Christmas gift."

"You didn't have to give me a Christmas gift," Draco said, though he took the package when she handed it to him and grinned when he opened it. Inside there were various containers of basic potion ingredients. "This will be really nice. Thanks, love."

Ginny smiled, her face reddening slightly. "Do you like it? I wasn't really sure what to get you and I know you're good at Potions so I thought maybe it was suitable?" she said hesitantly.

He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "It's great," he said and pulling a smaller box out of his trunk. "This is for you."

Ginny opened the box, finding a silver necklace inside. The chain was delicate, bearing a pendant at the bottom, which was shaped like the outline of a star, with tiny, misty blue stones at each point.

"They're moonstones," Draco explained as she studied them. "Moonstone is supposed to protect the person wearing it."

She smiled at him, showing her teeth in a full beam. "It's beautiful, Draco, really. I love it," she said and held it around her neck, turning her back to him. "Hook it for me?" she asked, pushing her hair from her neck.

He hooked the necklace and Ginny turned to look at him again. "How do I look?" she asked, still smiling. "Does it look okay?"

Draco kissed her forehead. "It looks great," he said. "You look beautiful."

Ginny grinned, giving him a quick kiss. "I need to go back. Thanks for this," she said, holding up the necklace from her collarbone. "I'll see you after break!"

"Bye, Weasley," Draco said with an amused smirk, watching as she scurried out of the compartment and down the hall. He sat back with a sigh, and so the holidays began.

-.-.-.-

**Disclaimer – Not mine unless it's mine.**

**Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry you guys! I have been so overloaded with school that I didn't realize I hadn't posted. I think at some point I psyched myself into thinking I actually had posted so it took me even longer. I am so unimaginably sorry!**

**I really hope you all liked this. Please review! **

**I love you and all and thanks so much for reviewing my chapters in the past! You guys are amazing.**

**Love from your overloaded and scatter brained but generally a good person writer, **

**Lady Cardea**


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